Toronto man charged in death of Tess Richey denied bail

A man accused of killing a young woman in Toronto’s gay village last year has been denied bail.

Kalen Schlatter is charged with first-degree murder in the November 2017 death of Tess Richey who, according to police, died of strangulation.

The accused made a court appearance on Monday following a two-day bail hearing last month.

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Richey, 22, was reported missing on Nov. 25 after a night out with a friend in Toronto’s Church and Wellesley neighbourhood.

Police said both the suspect and the victim did not know each other prior to meeting that evening.

Her mother, who travelled from the family home in North Bay, Ont., to search for her daughter, found Richey’s body four days later in a stairwell at the back of an alley, just steps from where she was last seen.

Schlatter was initially charged with second-degree murder but the charge was elevated to first-degree murder when new evidence emerged, police have said.

Police have faced public criticism for their failure to find Richey in the days after her disappearance. Two officers are now facing misconduct charges under the Police Services Act in connection with the case.

The woman’s death prompted police to launch a professional standards review to examine processes and procedures into how they handle missing persons cases.

VIDEO: Two Toronto Police officers charged with misconduct in Tess Richey case

2:12 2 Toronto Police officers charged with misconduct in Tess Richey case

— With a file from Caryn Lieberman and The Canadian Press