Alvin Elliot Buckwold, the 31-year-old son of Saskatoon lawyer Ian Buckwold, is charged with second-degree murder in his father's death.

He appeared in a Prince Albert court this morning.

Family members wept in court as Buckwold sat in the prisoner's box, showing no visible emotion. He will stay in custody until he returns to court next week.

The case started Sunday with a call to RCMP from Emma Lake.

Police said they got the call around 5:20 p.m. CST about a sudden death on Marine Drive at the popular resort about 45 kilometres north of Prince Albert.

When officers arrived at the home, they found the body of 64-year-old Buckwold. They arrested a Alvin Buckwold at the scene.

"Certainly this has stunned the legal community," said Doug Richardson, a lawyer and neighbor of Buckwold.

Saskatoon lawyer Henry Kloppenburg is a friend of the family.

"Above all, [it's] a tragedy to his family," he said.

Ian Buckwold worked as a lawyer, and in the community to help people with mental health issues.

He co-chaired the campaign to build the Les and Irene Dube Centre, a 65-bed facility near Royal University Hospital.

Buckwold's passion to help those with mental health concerns came, in part, from the challenges of having a son with schizophrenia.

Buckwold's father, Alvin, was a well-known Saskatoon pediatrician who co-founded Camp Easter Seal and worked with the Saskatchewan Abilities Council.

His uncle, Sidney, was a former mayor of Saskatoon.

Lawyer Doug Richardson says Ian Buckwold carried on the family tradition of community service.

"Ian got himself very involved on the mental health side, he and [wife] Mary Ellen were key in the fundraising for the Dube Centre, so the family has done a lot, they're a good community family."