Canada

Luka Rocco Magnotta, the man charged in connection with the infamous body-parts case that dominated headlines for the better part of 2012, is set to begin his preliminary inquiry on Monday.

But if Magnotta's lawyers have their way, the only people in the Montreal courtroom to hear the sordid details will be the prosecutors, the judge and a court clerk.

CAUTION: GRAPHIC CONTENT MAY DISTURB SOME READERS.

Magnotta is charged with first-degree murder in the slaying and dismemberment of Chinese-born student Jun Lin last May.

The 30-year-old low-budget porn actor and stripper, who crafted an online personality for himself over several years, became known worldwide after an international manhunt.

Authorities began looking for him after the severed remains of Lin, a Montreal engineering student, began showing up all over Canada.

Preliminary hearings, which determine if there is enough evidence to send a case to trial, are generally covered by a publication ban on that evidence.

But Magnotta's legal team announced at the end of last month that it would seek to have the public and media barred from attending altogether.

In a motion filed at the end of February, the request for the closed courtroom stems from an unspecified reason related to Magnotta's personal and medical history, details of which are not disclosed in the document.

The written motion from Magnotta's lawyers says that "the ends of justice will be best served by doing so."

Magnotta is accused of videotaping himself stabbing and dismembering Lin.