Kitchener-Waterloo

Husband accused in fatal house explosion appears in court via phone

Udo Haan, 58, made a brief court appearance by phone on Friday in a Kitchener courthouse.

Udo Haan, 58, remains in hospital in Kitchener under police guard

A police officer walks down a sidewalk away from a home that had been blown apart
An official walks by the scene of a fatal house explosion in Kitchener in August. (Kate Bueckert/CBC)

Udo Haan, the accused in a Kitchener house explosion that killed his wife Edra Haan in August, made a brief court "appearance" Friday morning.

He phoned into the hearing from Grand River Hospital in Kitchener, where he is under police custody.

Lawyer Stephen Gehl asked to adjourn the case to Oct. 24, saying he expects to be able to receive disclosure from the Crown at that time. Haan was ordered to appear in person on that date unless he is still in hospital.

Haan, 58, has been charged with first degree murder, one count of arson disregard for human life and two counts of arson damage to property.

Emergency crews were called to a home on Sprucedale Crescent in Kitchener just after 8 a.m. on Aug. 22. They found the body of 58-year-old Edra Haan in the backyard of the home.

Udo Haan was critically injured and airlifted to a Hamilton hospital.

The blast completely destroyed the family's home and significantly damaged two neighbouring homes. Pieces of the house were found several houses down and neighbours described insulation falling like snow on the residential street.

edra haan
The body of Edra Haan was found in the backyard of a home on Sprucedale Crescent in Kitchener on Aug. 22 after a house explosion. Her husband, Udo Haan, was critically injured in the blast. He has been charged in her death. (Facebook)