Li, whose face was bruised and one hand bandaged, did not reply when the judge asked him whether he was going to get a lawyer, and only nodded slightly when asked whether he was exercising his right not to speak. He was not required to enter a plea.
The prosecutor asked for a psychiatric assessment, but the judge said he wanted to give Li a chance to meet with his lawyer. Li's next court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said Li, who worked as a newspaper carrier in Edmonton, has no known criminal record.
Li's employer, Vincent Augert, told the Edmonton Journal that Li had delivered papers until Monday. He said that Li told him recently that he had a job interview in Winnipeg. Augert said Li's immediate supervisor described him as a "nice guy."
![Appliances](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2008/Aug/02/images/ads/current/mcquellons-bch-040108.png)
Authorities have not released the victim's name but friends identified him as Tim McLean and said he was headed to Winnipeg after working with the carnival in Edmonton.
William Caron, 23, said McLean was quiet, though he liked to socialize with friends. He was small
- about 5-foot-4 and 130 pounds - and tended to stay away from a fight, Caron said.
"All the time I've known Tim, he's never been the type of guy to get into a fight with. He always kept to himself when there's strangers around," Caron said.
Friends started a Facebook group called "R.I.P. Tim" after news of the attack.
"He was a great person, he was kind, thoughtful, and he did not deserve this. I feel for his parents and sisters and his lil bro," Jossiee Kehleer wrote on the site.
![Restaurant](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2008/Jan/02/images/ads/current/blue-dog-inn090907.png)
Passengers said the victim was stabbed dozens of times Wednesday night aboard the bus as it traveled a desolate stretch of the TransCanada Highway about 12 miles from Portage La Prairie.
Witnesses described a grisly killing that occurred as some passenger were napping and others watching "The Legend of Zorro" on television screens inside the bus. Greyhound spokeswoman Abby Wambaugh said there were 37 passengers on the bus at the time.
Shortly after passengers reboarded following a break, the suspect - for no apparent reason
- stabbed the man sitting next to him several dozen times as others fled in horror, witnesses said. He then severed the man's head, displayed it and began hacking at the body.