Murder
TAYLOR TRIAL: Jurors will hear final arguments next week before deliberating verdict
KAMLOOPS - Both the Crown and the defence have finished presenting their evidence in the Damien Taylor murder trial in Kamloops and jurors will hear closing submissions from lawyers next week. Taylor is charged with second-degree murder in the death of his girlfriend CJ Fowler. The 16-year-old’s body was found December 5, 2012 near a...
Mother accused of murdering infant son in Kamloops to undergo psychiatric assessment
KAMLOOPS - A woman charged with murdering her newborn son will undergo a psychiatric assessment to determine her mental state at the time of the alleged offence. Courtney Fawn Saul made a brief apperance in Kamloops Provincial Court this morning, Oct. 8. She is charged with second degree murder in the death of her infant...
TAYLOR TRIAL: Accused pretended to be hallucinating during psychiatric exam: Psychiatrist
KAMLOOPS — The forensic psychiatrist who examined the man accused of murdering his girlfriend said he could have suffered from psychosis caused by drug use at the time of the 16-year-old’s death, despite the accused pretending to be schizophrenic during their meetings. Dr. Sunette Lessing conducted eight hours of interviews with Damien Taylor, 24, at...
The 14-year-old Vernon boy charged with murder has been released
VERNON - A 14-year-old Greater Vernon boy charged with murder is out of jail — at least for the time being. The teen, whose identity is protected under the Youth Act, was released on bail Sept. 22. Details such as what the bail is set at, and the conditions of his release, were not made...
Vernon RCMP looking for individual who was in Polson Park night of alleged murder
VERNON - Investigators believe there was someone else in Polson Park the night of an alleged murder, and they’re hoping that person will come forward. Police issued a statement earlier this week asking for additional witnesses in the Jason Hardy murder investigation, but RCMP Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says it appears investigators are looking for one person in...
TAYLOR TRIAL: If teen was rushed to hospital after injuries, death could have been prevented, doctor says
KAMLOOPS — The injuries to a teen’s head, neck and chest were severe enough to cause her death, but the 16-year-old girl could have been saved if she had received immediate medical attention, a jury has heard. Dr. Gilles Molgat, the pathologist who performed the autopsy of CJ Fowler, testified in Kamloops Supreme Court today,...
Preliminary inquiry set for Lumby man accused of murder
VERNON – The 55-year-old man charged with second-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of a Vernon teacher in Lumby this past summer will be back before the judge in the New Year for a preliminary hearing. Howard Krewson, who is also known as Howard Everett, is accused of killing Linda Ross, 51, at...
Lumby murder trial rescheduled for 2016
VERNON - A Lumby man accused of murdering a local teacher will stand trial in the spring of 2016. Howard Everett Krewson, 55, faces one count of second degree murder in relation to the death of his 51-year-old girlfriend, Linda Ross, a teacher at the Vernon School District’s Alternative Learning Program. Krewson’s trial was scheduled...
Vernon men charged with murder return to court
VERNON - A pair of local men accused in the murder of 42-year-old Jason Hardy were in Vernon Provincial Court again this week. Brandon Joseph Clayton Wellington, 18, and Tal Kalum La Riviere, 28, both face second degree murder charges in relation to Hardy’s death. A 14-year-old Greater Vernon boy, whose name is protected under...
Vernon teen accused of murder to have no contact with three people
VERNON - A local teen charged with murder has been ordered not to have any contact with his co-accused — a 14-year-old boy — and two other young men from Vernon. Brandon Joseph Clayton Wellington, 18, appeared in Vernon Provincial Court today, Sept. 9 on one count of second degree murder in the death of...
New murder charge laid in connection with Vernon death
VERNON - Police have arrested a third person for murder in connection with the death of 42-year-old Jason Hardy, whose body was found in Polson Park Aug. 26. Tal Kalum La Riviere, 28, from Greater Vernon, was arrested in Kamloops Sept. 9 and charged with one count of second degree murder. He was scheduled to...
Two teens, ages 14 and 18, arrested for murder in Vernon death
VERNON - Police have arrested two teenagers for second degree murder in the death of Jason Hardy, whose body was found in Polson Park last week. One of the teens is a 14 year old male. He and 18-year-old Brandon Wellington were arrested Aug. 31. Both are residents of the Greater Vernon area, RCMP Const....
Psychiatric evaluation results postponed in Kamloops murder case
KAMLOOPS - A judge’s decision remains in limbo while the court awaits psychiatric evaluation results for a Kamloops man who admitted to killing his ex-girlfriend last year. Last month, Christopher Frank Butler pleaded guilty in Kamloops Supreme Court to the second-degree murder of his ex-girlfriend, Deanne Wheeler, 26. Justice Keith Bracken ordered a psychiatric assessment...
Ed Gyoba to be remembered with bench in Ashcroft
ASHCROFT - Community members have raised enough money to purchase a memorial bench for Ed Gyoba, a well-known man in Ashcroft and Cache Creek who died in an alleged murder last year. Susan Maximiuk, who took it upon herself to collect the funds, says it only took about a month to raise the $1,600 necessary...
Judge orders mental assessment after man admits to killing ex-girlfriend
KAMLOOPS - It's now up to forensic psychiatrists to prepare a report which will determine if a man who admitted to killing his ex-girlfriend is guilty of the crime or not criminally responsible because of a mental disorder. Today, Aug. 6, Justice Keith Bracken ordered a mental assessment after noting Christopher Frank Butler pleaded guilty...