Murder charges raised to first degree

Charges against the B.C. man accused of killing 18-year-old Taylor Van Diest in Vernon have been raised to first-degree murder.

Investigators with the RCMP South-east District Major Crimes Unit and the B.C. Crown prosecutor's office said Thursday that charges against Matthew Foerster have been upgraded from second-degree murder.

Neither the police nor the Crown prosecutor provided information on why the charges were upgraded.

University of B.C. law professor Isabel Grant said several criteria can lead to a first-degree murder charge.

"The ones that strike me as likely relevant [in this case] ... are if the murder takes place during the course of a sexual assault, if the murder takes place during an enforceable confinement, and if the murder is planned and deliberate," said Grant. "Any of those would make it first degree," she said.

The big difference in first-degree and second-degree murder charges is in sentencing, noted Grant, whose research includes criminal law.

Both carry mandatory life sentences for convictions, but first-degree murder comes with no chance to apply for parole for 25 years, she said. In second-degree murder, the judge sets parole eligibility between 10 and 25 years.

Foerster, 26, was arrested April 5 in the high-profile killing of Van Diest, who was attacked while out on Halloween in her hometown of Arm-strong, situated just north of Vernon.

Van Diest was found beaten and unconscious near the railway tracks in Armstrong and later died in hospital of head injuries.

Foerster's father, Stephen Roy Foer-ster, was charged with obstruction of justice and accessory after the fact.

Matthew Foerster, originally of Cherryville, which is 50 kilometres east of Vernon, was arrested in Ontario. He has also been charged in two other unsolved crimes involving attacks on women in the B.C. Interior.

The RCMP continues to say they would like to hear from anyone who has not already spoken to investigators with information on any contact they had with Matthew Forester on Halloween night 2011.

Foerster has been returned to B.C. His next court appearance is scheduled via video link for May 10.

ghoekstra@vancouversun.com

Read More @ Source



Criminal Stories Here

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Homicide victim found at vacant Everett house

Image
EVERETT -- Police on Wednesday were canvassing the View Ridge-Madison neighborhood in Everett after a man was found dead there the night before. A neighbor spotted the man on the ground outside a vacant house at 22 Madison St. He called 911 about 6:20 p.m. The man had obvious signs of trauma to his torso, police said. He looked to be in his late 20s or early 30s. The Everett Major Crimes Unit is investigating the death as a homicide, Lt. Robert Goetz said. Detectives declined to say more about how they believe the man may have died. There are no identified suspects or motives. Detectives received a search warrant around 11:45 p.m. Tuesday and collected evidence at the scene. They returned Wednesday afternoon to look for clues in the daylight, Goetz said. The victim's identity had not been determined as of late Wednesday afternoon. The body was turned over to the Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office. Anyone with information is asked to call 425-257-8450. Rikki King: 425-
Keep reading

Manslaughter charges possible in boy's death

Image
Published: Thursday, August 23, 2012, 5:55 p.m. MONROE -- Detectives believe a 7-year-old Monroe boy's parents should face second-degree manslaughter charges in connection with his January overdose death. Monroe police this week wrapped up their probe into the boy's Jan. 30 death and forwarded the case to prosecutors to decide if his parents should face criminal charges. Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Lisa Paul likely will begin reviewing the case in the coming days. She doesn't expect to make a charging decision in the near future, however. "It's quite an extensive investigation, and I want to review it thoroughly before I make any decision," she said. The boy, identified as "A.J." in court papers, ingested a lethal amount of salicylates, a chemical common in aspirin and other over-the-counter drugs. The medical examiner declined to conduct an autopsy on the boy, making it difficult to determine how the drug ended up in the boy's system. A
Keep reading