Kai-Ji Adam Lo pleaded not guilty to 11 counts of second-degree murder and 31 counts of attempted murder at an arraignment hearing Monday morning in B.C. Supreme Court.
Lo is alleged to have driven his SUV into a crowd at the Lapu-Lapu Day Festival in East Vancouver on April 26, 2025, killing and injuring dozens of festival goers.
Lo appeared in court via video from Forensic Psychiatric Hospital in Port Coquitlam, stating “not guilty” as the charges were read out one-by-one in a process that took almost 20 minutes.
After the court heard the not guilty pleas, a voir dire was declared by Justice Kathleen Ker to consider submissions on the admissibility of evidence.
Lapu-Lapu Day murder accused found fit to stand trial, charged with 31 new counts
The voir dire is scheduled to run for five weeks. Lo’s actual trial is set to begin on April 19, 2027.
Lo, who was age 30 at the time of the Lapu-Lapu Day vehicle ramming, earlier elected to stand trial by judge alone.
Lo was found fit to stand trial on the 42 charges at a fitness trial last year. Judge Reginald Harris concluded that Lo was able to conduct a defence, could understand the nature and consequences of the proceedings, and was willing and capable of communicating with his lawyer.
