On Thursday, November 28, 30-year-old Damien Starrett, who has been charged with second degree murder in the death of his one-year-old son, Ares Bishop, appeared in court via CCTV and requested a prison transfer from the Edmonton Remand Centre to the Fort Saskatchewan facility.

“His life has been threatened while he has been in custody,” said lawyer Rory Ziv, who is not Damien’s defense lawyer and only represented him for this single court appearance. “Guards are making disparaging remarks.”

The judge said the decision is not up to him and continued with the proceedings. Damien’s next court appearance is scheduled for January 9.

In much more sympathetic news, the candlelight vigil held at Fort Saskatchewan’s Carscadden Park on Wednesday evening drew more than 300 people to honor the lives of both Ares and Jesse McPhee, a 15-year-old boy who was hit by a car and killed the same day Ares died, November 23.

The vigil’s organizers set up tables with notebooks and pens for attendees to leave messages of condolence for the boys’ families. The ink in the pens kept freezing, because Canada, but people still lined up to sign, warming the pens over candles before writing.

Donations were also collected during the vigil; any funds raised will be split between two existing GoFundMe campaigns set up for the two families.

During the event, the large group held a moment of silence for Ares and Jesse before releasing dozens of balloons into the frosty Alberta evening sky.

Click here for more of my coverage on Ares’s case.

Sources: Global News, CBC, CTV News Edmonton