A judge has found a Saskatchewan Mountie guilty of manslaughter in the shooting death of his lover.
Bernie Herman, who is 55, had pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of 26-year-old Braden Herman.
The two men are not related.
Justice Gary Meschishnick said he didn’t believe Bernie Herman’s testimony that he felt threatened by the younger man. But he says he had reasonable doubt about whether the Mountie could have been provoked and lost his cool.
For Braden’s friend June Hanson, the verdict is disappointing.
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“It hurts everybody. This is just unfair,” Hanson said. “We need justice for Braden. He didn’t have a voice in this trial.”
Braden’s friend Rochele Herman echoed a similar sentiment, and hopes people will remember Braden for who he was as a person.
“He was a nice, kind and caring person,” Rochele said outside the Prince Albert courthouse. “He wasn’t violent at all and he didn’t deserve what happened.”
it is currently unknown when Bernie Herman will get his sentence.
Braden Herman’s naked body was found in 2021 in a park on the outskirts of Prince Albert. He had been shot in the chest area.
The trial has heard that the two men met on Facebook in about 2018, and Braden Herman moved into the veteran officer’s family home.
The relationship quickly became sexual and caused strain on the Mountie’s marriage. The officer’s wife kicked Braden Herman out of the home in 2019, but the sexual relationship between the men continued.
Bernie Herman testified the sex wasn’t always consensual. He also told court that he was afraid, as Braden Herman would get violent.
On the day of the shooting, May 11, 2021, the court heard that Bernie Herman called Braden 59 times. Braden didn’t call the officer once.
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