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While Volpi’s relatives were not in court, Hackett’s mother attended to catch her first glimpse of her son since his arrest Friday afternoon by Toronto police.

Hackett’s mother, Lori Charles, broke down when she saw her son on the large television screen at the front of the courtroom. She wiped tears from her eyes and shook her head during her son’s video appearance.

“It’s heartbreaking all the way around,” Charles said outside the court. “He’s a kid.”

Hackett was wanted on a Canada-wide warrant for second-degree murder after Volpi was stabbed repeatedly around 3:30 a.m. on June 7 outside Les Suites Hotel on Besserer Street, where Volpi and his fellow St. Patrick’s High School students were celebrating their prom after-party.

“It’s amazing news,” Danny Volpi, Brandon’s father, said on Friday afternoon, describing the phone call that came from Ottawa police as a “relief” and “weight off my shoulders.”

“My son can rest in peace,” he said.

Danny called his mother after the phone call with police ended. Brandon’s grandmother had helped raise him.

“He kept her young,” Danny said.

Hackett had evaded police since the warrant for his arrest was issued three days after Brandon was killed. Hackett attended St. Pius X High School, which also held its prom in downtown Ottawa on June 6. Students from both schools were staying at Les Suites for post-prom celebrations.

Early on June 7, several fights had broken out on Besserer Street in front of the hotel entrance. In one altercation, caught on video seized by police, Brandon Volpi was stabbed in the neck and heart with a knife. Volpi, known for his intimidating size and commitment to protecting those who needed him, collapsed and died in hospital. The two men are believed to have known each other, but police don’t think it was a planned attack.