The preliminary hearing for a man accused of murdering a Chinese exchange student in her York University-area apartment last year got underway on Monday.
Brian Dickson is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Qian Liu. The Chinese visa student was found dead, naked from her waist down, in her apartment last April.
The preliminary hearing is to determine if there is enough evidence to advance to trial. It is slated to last two to three weeks.
Dickson appeared in court on Monday wearing a dark suit and white shirt, while his parents sat quietly in attendance.
Dickson was denied bail earlier this month, in a decision Justice Anne Molloy said was "primarily" based on the public's confidence in the justice system.
Molloy said the decision was also made in view of public safety.
Twenty-three-year-old Liu was born in Beijing and arrived in Canada to study English at York University in September 2010.
Liu's death, on April 15, 2011, made headlines around the world as the "webcam murder" after police said Liu's boyfriend witnessed part of the attack over his webcam from China.
Last April, her boyfriend Meng Xiachao told CTV News in Beijing that he watched in shock as a man attempted to hug his girlfriend before attacking her.
The cause of Liu's death has not been revealed.
With files from CTV Toronto's Tamara Cherry. Follow her on Twitter at @tamaracherry.
