Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story misspelled Aidan von Grabow’s first name. It has been corrected.

Attorneys for the 15-year-old accused of stabbing a Longmont woman to death last year hinted in court Friday that Accutane — an acne-treatment drug that some have linked to erratic behavior — may be cited by the defense in explaining the teen’s alleged actions.

Aidan von Grabow is charged with first-degree murder and 10 other counts in the stabbing death of Makayla Grote on Nov. 18, 2017.

Prosecutors are trying to charge von Grabow as an adult, but because he is under the age of 16, they will have to convince Boulder District Judge Andrew Macdonald to transfer the case out of juvenile court during a weeklong hearing starting on March 5.

Attorneys at that hearing also will argue as to whether there is enough evidence for the case to proceed to trial.

During a hearing Friday, Boulder Deputy District Attorney Adrian Van Nice objected to several of the defense’s witnesses, including Dr. Doug Bremner, a psychiatrist known for his studies on isotretinoin, which is better known for its brand name, Accutane.

Used to treat severe acne, there has been debate for decades about whether Accutane causes depression and psychosis.

While defense attorneys Steve Jacobson and Mike Rafik never specifically stated von Grabow used Accutane, they said they plan to call Bremner to testify how the drug could possibly cause aggressive or violent behavior in a person who had never before exhibited those types of behaviors.

Van Nice objected to Bremner being used for the transfer hearing, pointing out that another doctor who saw von Grabow already would be citing Bremner’s research, and that bringing Bremner in was redundant and not relevant for the purposes of the transfer hearing.

Jacobson argued Bremner could testify as to how a person could be rehabilitated after stopping Accutane use.

But Macdonald agreed with prosecutors, saying the role the drug may have played in the alleged stabbing was not relevant for the reversal hearing, which is designed to determine if the juvenile or adult criminal justice system is more appropriate — not assign guilt or innocence.

Macdonald also pointed out that Bremner had never met von Grabow.

But while Bremner will not testify at the reversal hearing, he could still possibly be called during a trial.

Macdonald also said he would limit the testimony of Douglas Jacobs, a psychiatrist and a consultant to Hoffmann-La Roche, the company that sells Accutane. Jacobs was listed by the prosecution as a rebuttal witness to several witnesses, including Bremner.

Both Bremner and Jacobs were cited in a New York Times article about the drug published in 2002 after a teen, Charles Bishop, committed suicide by flying his plane into the side of a building in Florida. His mother sued Hoffmann-La Roche, blaming Accutane for her son’s depression, but later dropped the suit.

Von Grabow is accused of killing Grote, 20, at her apartment in Longmont, though police believe he had intended to kill Grote’s younger sister, who prosecutors say was on von Grabow’s “death list.”

Prosecutors say the sister was showering when Grote was killed and was able to lock herself in another room.

Grote, her younger sister and von Grabow all attended Green Mountain High School in Lakewood at some point.

In addition to first-degree murder, von Grabow faces 10 other counts, including three counts of attempted first-degree murder for pursuing Grote’s younger sister and at least two other people named on the alleged list.

Mitchell Byars: 303-473-1329, byarsm@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/mitchellbyars