The family of the man who is facing charges stemming from the slaying of an Edmonton couple told CTV News Tuesday that they had tried to get police to arrest the accused, before Friday’s tragedy.

Tammie Roberts-Lewis told CTV News her brother started changing about a year ago.

“What’s led up to everything happening is my brother doing drugs, he did some drugs and was never the same,” Roberts-Lewis said.

She says her brother attacked her with a baseball bat in August, 2015. Roberts-Lewis said he was arrested, and released hours later – before returning to their Fort Saskatchewan home.

“I woke up to a bat being across my back, he was released,” Roberts-Lewis said. “I didn’t get a phone call, it was about three and a half hours after the first incident.

“Me and my dad managed to wrestle him off me and the police came again and he was charged again.”

Ed Roberts, the father of the accused, said as recently as two months ago his son came at him with scissors.

“He tried to stab me with scissors one night and it wasn’t him, it was some demon in him,” Roberts said.

On September 2, police were called to a home in the area of 111 Street and 111 Avenue, just after noon, on reports of a suspicious person – officers arrived to find two residents dead inside their home.

One male suspect was arrested.

The next day, police said that suspect, identified as Edward Kyle Roberts, 31, had been charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of Joao Nascimento, 93, and Maria Nascimento, 81.

Roberts said Fort Saskatchewan RCMP were aware of his son’s issues. He said his son was released on bail weeks after the incident.

The father said he called Fort Saskatchewan RCMP on September 1 to warn them that his son was a danger to himself or others, and where to find him – but Roberts said police told him they couldn’t go get him.

CTV News attempted to contact RCMP Tuesday over Roberts’ claims, as of press time RCMP had not responded.

“[He] didn’t get a psychological evaluation, nothing,” Roberts-Lewis said. “I just don’t get it you know, It doesn’t make any sense to me.”

“My heart goes out to these poor old people who died, [police] could have picked him up that night and put him in so easy,” Roberts said.

Kyle Roberts made his first appearance in court Tuesday on the two first-degree murder charges. His case was put over for two months as he receives a mental health assessment.

With files from David Ewasuk