It was another brief court appearance in Woodstock for the former nurse accused of murdering eight residents of long-term care homes.
Elizabeth Wettlaufer, 49, appeared by video link from the Vanier Centre for Women in Milton on Wednesday morning. Defence lawyer Brad Burgess told the court he has received a "substantial" amount of disclosure from the Crown and continues to sift through it.
This was Wettlaufer's first court appearance since an additional four charges of attempted murder and two charges of aggravated assault were laid against her in January. Those charges relate to offences that were allegedly committed when Wettlaufer worked at Caressant Care in Woodstock, Telfer Place in Paris, and at a private residence in Oxford County.
Wettlaufer was originally charged in October 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.
Arpad Horvath Jr., whose father Arpad Horvath Sr. died at Meadow Park in August 2014, was the only family member present for the latest court proceedings. He spoke about seeing his father's alleged killer via video link.
"It makes me really angry every time. To see her live last month made me really angry and to see her now makes me semi-angry," said Horvath Jr. "Every time I see her, I'm sick."
Horvath Jr.'s father was one of two of Wettlaufer's alleged victims whose bodies were exhumed by police in January.
"To have to see my father's casket again, to have to exhume my father after putting him down to rest... it is surreal, it is scary and it is a nightmare I can't wake up from and a reality I can't run from," said Horvath.
Horvath Sr.'s body was returned to its resting place at St. Peter’s Cemetery in east London four days after it was exhumed. His family held a brief service with the London police Chaplin at that time. Horvath Jr. said police have not told him whether they discovered any new evidence through the exhumation.
"Hopefully it will prove fruitful and something good will come of it.," said Horvath Jr.
Wettlaufer's next court appearance is slated for March 3.
