LONGUEUIL, QUE. -- The preliminary hearing in the case of Radoslav Guentchev, the driver who allegedly killed a pedestrian and a cyclist last September in Brossard, will take place in May, according to information presented at the Longueuil courthouse Wednesday morning.

Five days of hearings have been set between Tuesday May 25 and Monday May 31.

Guentchev has been detained since the fatal accident on Sept. 7.

According to a police report at the time, Guentchev deliberately turned off his lights and chose his victims chosen at random. Huiping Ding, a woman aged 45, and Gérard Chong Soon Yuen, a man aged 50, lost their lives as a result of being hit in the early Monday evening on Niagara Ave. and Pelletier Blvd.

The accused faces charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault, hit-and-run causing death, dangerous driving causing death and dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm.

Longueuil police (SPAL) specified that during the events, Guentchev was alone in the vehicle and that he "could have been in a state of crisis."

Remi Cournoyer-Quintal from the Longueuil legal aid office is representing Guentchev, while Marie-Josee Theriault is acting as Crown prosecutor in the case.

At a previous hearing in this case last fall, Cournoyer-Quintal said he was considering asking his client to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. It was not possible to confirm whether this request was indeed submitted to the court.

-- this report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 27, 2021.