British ColumbiaThe next hearings for Kai-Ji Adam Lo, the man accused of murder in the Lapu-Lapu Day festival tragedy in Vancouver, are expected in January — with lawyers and a provincial court judge acknowledging the massive amounts of evidence to be weighed in the case.Accused Kai-Ji Adam Lo makes video appearance during Thursday hearingLiam Britten · CBC News · Posted: Oct 30, 2025 4:08 PM EDT | Last Updated: October 30Listen to this articleEstimated 2 minutesA two-day trail has been ordered to assess the mental fitness of Kai Ji Adam Lo, accused in the Vancouver Lapu-Lapu Festival car-ramming deaths. (Felicity Don)The next hearings for Kai-Ji Adam Lo, the man accused of murder in the Lapu-Lapu Day festival tragedy in Vancouver, are expected in January — with lawyers and a provincial court judge acknowledging the massive amounts of evidence to be weighed in the case.Judge Reginald Harris suggested Thursday a January date would allow the Crown and defence to consider if a preliminary inquiry should be requested, and what issues would be at play.“I acknowledge the volume of disclosure thus far,” Harris said. “It makes sense that the matter is going to be adjourned off for quite some time.”“Disclosure” refers to the requirement that the Crown disclose to the defence all relevant material in prosecutors’ hands.WATCH | Event marks six months since festival tragedy:Filipino community gathers for a day of healing 6 months after festival tragedyIt’s been six months since a tragedy at a Filipino festival in Vancouver left 11 people dead, and dozens injured. As Janella Hamilton reports, community members are trying to stay connected as they cope with the lingering grief.Crown prosecutor Michaela Donnelly noted there had been discussion of meeting again in December.But she argued with the mass of evidence disclosed — and some yet to be disclosed — that timeline seemed unfeasible.“We’re well into the disclosure process, I’d say we’re at the end of it, but there’s still some additional disclosure to come,” Donnelly said.A memorial for the victims of the Lapu-Lapu Day festival tragedy is pictured in Vancouver on May 15. (Ben Nelms/CBC)Defence lawyer Mark Swartz said disclosure portions provided so far have included “generally, each of them, a few thousand pages.”Lo appeared by video Thursday from the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital in Port Coquitlam, where he is being held.He mostly looked straight at the camera, seated at a long, white table. He wore a blue sweater and his hair was ruffled.He did not speak except to answer, “Yes,” when asked if he could hear the proceedings.Lo has been charged with 11 counts of murder and 31 counts of attempted murder in connection to the April car ramming at the festival celebrating Filipino culture. He was found mentally fit to stand trial in September. A publication ban covers much of the evidence heard in those hearings.Swartz on Thursday confirmed to Harris he would notify the court about any change in his client’s mental state.Crown and defence lawyers will seek a next hearing date during the week of Jan. 12, 2026.ABOUT THE AUTHORLiam Britten is an award-winning journalist for CBC Vancouver. You can contact him at liam.britten@cbc.ca or follow him on Twitter: @liam_britten.
Lapu-Lapu Day trial’s next hearings expected in 2026 with ‘thousands’ of pages of evidence in mind
