The case against a former nurse accused of killing eight residents of long-term care homes in Woodstock and London will return to court early in 2017.
The case against Elizabeth Wettlaufer, 49, was adjourned to January 6 in a brief hearing at the Woodstock court house on Thursday morning. Wettlaufer appeared in court via video link from the Vanier Centre for Women in Milton.
Once again, friends and relatives of Wettlaufer's alleged victims were at the courthouse. Susan Horwath, whose father Arpad died in 2014 while he was a resident at Meadow Park nursing home in London, has been at almost all of Wettlaufer's court appearances.
On Thursday, she was joined by Donald Martin and Laura Jackson. They were close friends of Maurice Granat, a resident of Caressant Care who died in late 2007.
"He was our family. We weren't blood related, but he was our family. We loved him. We loved him very much and we need to get answers. We need to stand for him and maybe stand for future nursing homes and people in nursing home to know they're safe," said Jackson.
Wettlaufer was charged on October 25 with eight counts of first degree murder in the deaths of seven residents of Caressant Care in Woodstock, and one resident of Meadow Park nursing home in London. The eight residents ranged in age from 75-96 and died between 2007-2014.