A US citizen serving multiple life sentences for killing four people, including a police officer, appeared virtually in a Bracebridge courtroom recently after being accused of a stabbing.
Appearing via Zoom, Gregory McMaster, 67, was remanded on charges of assault with a weapon, possession of a weapon dangerous to the public peace and concealing a weapon.
Court documents indicate the incident occurred in Gravenhurst, but do not specify the exact location. However, McMaster has been serving concurrent life sentences at Fenbrook Institution.
Originally from New Haven, Connecticut, McMaster killed three people in Canada in the summer of 1978 while on the run from police. Fleeing across the U.S. border, on Aug. 2., 1978, McMaster shot and killed a sheriff’s deputy in Minnesota before his eventual arrest. He was originally convicted and imprisoned in Minnesota before being extradited to Canada.
In 2003 McMaster was moved to Fenbrook Correctional Facility in Gravenhurst. Since then he’s been involved in several high-profile lawsuits.
In 2011 McMaster won a $6,000 out-of-court settlement from Correctional Services of Canada after guards distributed a newspaper article about him to other prisoners, according to a CBC article.
In 2009, he was also awarded $6,000 after he claimed he was denied properly fitting footwear, which led to a knee injury.
McMaster appeared virtually last month in the Bracebridge courthouse from Millhaven maximum security facility, located west of Kingston.
“ I can’t believe we’re doing court like this,” he remarked of the Zoom proceedings.
Representing McMaster, Jay Herbert said his client is dealing with multiple health issues and requested the proceedings be postponed. He said the strong opioid painkillers McMaster has been prescribed have left him groggy and depressed.
He is scheduled to appear to for his next court appearance on Jan. 30, 2024.
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