April 13, 2013 | Sex & Society

Luka Magnotta to stand trial for first-degree murder

Quebec Court Judge Lori-Renée Weitzman ruled yesterday that Luka Magnotta will finally stand trial for first-degree murder in the death of Concordia University student Lin Jun (pictured).

The judge considered all of the evidence submitted during a preliminary hearing before rendering her decision. Magnotta, 30, will also be tried for causing an indignity to a body, producing and distributing obscene material, sending obscene material through the postal system and harassing Prime Minister Stephen Harper and other members of parliament.

Few details of the evidence shared in court have been revealed, due to a publication ban. It was revealed that Magnotta fainted following some video evidence, and that he was allegedly diagnosed at a young age with schizophrenia.

Magnotta's defence lawyer did try to have the charge reduced to second-degree murder because, he said, there was no evidence that the murder, which was videotaped, was deliberate and planned.

It will take another year before the actual trial begins.

Magnotta ordered to stand trial on first-degree murder charge [The Globe and Mail]