The accused assailant, Vince Weiguang Li, faces second-degree murder charges in the death of Tim McLean, 22, a Winnipeg native, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have announced.
In a brief court appearance, Li, his face bruised and swollen, his right hand wrapped in a large bandage, did not speak and only nodded yes or no to questions from the judge.
According to reports, McLean had been listening to music and texting friends and family, his cheek pressed against the window of the bus when his assailant struck suddenly, stabbing him repeatedly in the chest with a "big Rambo knife."
After pulling out a hunting knife and stabbing McLean as many as 40 or 50 times, witnesses said, Li displayed the victim's severed head to horrified passengers who had already fled the bus.
The shocking story has focussed worldwide attention on the small Manitoba town of Portage La Prairie, where the bus was forced to stop.
The 37 passengers, including several children, who escaped the vehicle after the bloodshed began were later taken to a nearby hotel by the Canadian mounted police.