( CNN ) -- A Canadian man suspected of killing a university student who was last seen alive via webcam made his first court appearance on Thursday , officials said . Brian Dickson , 29 , remains in custody after Toronto police arrested him Wednesday afternoon and charged him with the first-degree murder of a 23-year-old exchange student from Beijing . His next court appearance is set for April 26 , said Brendan Crawley , a spokesperson for the ministry of the attorney general 's office . Crawley described Dickson 's court appearance Thursday as `` procedural '' but he would not elaborate . Authorities have not said how they tied Dickson to the death of the student , Qian Liu . Police said early last Friday , Liu was talking via webcam to a male friend in China when a man allegedly knocked on the door of her Toronto apartment , asking to use her phone . The online witness said he saw Liu and the unknown man struggle for a time before the attacker turned off her laptop , police said . `` The man tried to hurt ( Qian Liu ) '' the witness told CNN affiliate CTV . `` She was resisting and saying 'No , no , please do n't . ' At that time my mind went blank . And I was cursing him from my webcam . '' `` I was so far away I could n't reach her , '' he added . `` I felt helpless and I could n't calm down . '' Ten hours later , police arrived at the basement apartment to find Liu 's body , naked from the waist down . Her laptop was missing . There were no obvious signs of sexual assault or severe physical trauma , and police have said they were awaiting toxicology reports . Liu 's father , Liu Jianhui , told CNN affiliate CTV that he had trouble believing the incident . `` At the beginning I did not believe it was true , '' he said . `` She was a very hardworking , outstanding girl . '' This is not the first time a crime has been captured by webcam . In the most notorious incident , Meleanie Hain of Lebanon , Pennsylvania , was shot dead in 2009 while talking to a friend via webcam . The friend was looking away when he heard a shot and a scream , police said . Upon looking back at the screen , the friend saw Hain 's husband firing a handgun at where his wife had been , authorities said . Police later found both Hain and her husband dead in their home .
NEW : This means the product will ship as received by the manufacturer, sealed, with all advertised components, and with the manufacturer warranty. Long-distance witness : `` I was cursing him from my webcam '' A friend in China sees the woman attacked in her Toronto apartment . Police later find Qian Liu dead in the apartment .