Statements made by a former RCMP officer to a his supervisor the night he allegedly shot and killed a man will be admitted as evidence at his upcoming murder trial.
According to a media report from paNOW News, which MBC Radio News was able to independently verify Thursday afternoon, a King’s Bench judge has rejected a motion from Bernie Herman’s lawyers seeking to exclude from evidence statements he made on the grounds that he was not made aware of his legal rights.
The court was told on the night Bernie Herman allegedly shot Braden Herman he called his supervisor and told his supervisor he was going to hurt himself and confessed to shooting someone. The senior RCMP officer told Bernie to come to his house, where Bernie handed over his gun and then gave police directions to where Braden’s body could be found. While the two men share the same last name and both have roots in the La Loche area they are not related.
The Crown countered the defense claims by arguing that Bernie’s supervisor was not acting as a police officer but as a friend who was trying to help someone who was in distress.
Bernie Herman’s trial is set to get underway next week at King’s Bench Court in Prince Albert. He is charged with first degree murder.