'Canadian Psycho' makes brief court appearance

MONTREAL (AFP) - Accused killer Luka Rocco Magnotta, dubbed "the Canadian Psycho", appeared briefly in court on Wednesday to set dates for his trial.

Magnotta is accused of slaying and dismembering a Chinese student in Montreal last year.

He appeared in court for less than an hour on Wednesday as a preliminary hearing, in which a judge decides whether there is enough evidence for prosecution, was set by the court to begin on March 11.

The proceedings cannot be reported due to a publication ban.

According to police, the occasional porn actor and escort is believed to have used an ice pick to stab his victim in late May before carving up his body, sexually abusing the corpse, filming the act and posting the video online.

Days after the killing, Montreal police discovered the victim's torso in a suitcase by the trash outside an apartment along a busy highway.

His severed hands and feet were also sent through the mail to federal political parties in Ottawa and to two schools in Vancouver. The head was found in a Montreal park.

Magnotta has pleaded not guilty to first degree murder and other charges, including committing indignities to a body. He faces life imprisonment if convicted.

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