Appeal date set for June 2016 for man convicted in Taylor Van Diest murder

ARMSTRONG – A trial date has been set to hear the appeal of a British Columbia man who was found guilty of murdering an 18-year-old woman four years ago.

Twenty-nine-year-old Matthew Foerster was convicted of first-degree murder in April last year and sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.

Taylor Van Diest was found near death along some train tracks in Armstrong, about 25 kilometres north of Vernon, on Halloween night in 2011.

Foerster filed an appeal last September and Crown spokesman Gordon Comer says a hearing is expected to begin in June of next year.

Foerster's lawyer alleges that the judge made mistakes in his instructions to the jury around intoxication and on the attempted sexual assault as an element of first-degree murder.

The victim's mother Marie Van Diest said last year that the appeal is part two of a nightmare, and that she couldn't stand the thought of the case resurfacing.

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11 responses

  1. appeal? appeal? appeal what? your DNA was all over her and matched 2 other previous sex assaults, 3 time loser!, what a waist of tax dollars! and making the family go threw this again? wow way to go Canada! NOT!the only thing we should b appealing is why we don’t have the death penalty in Canada for scum like you!

  2. He doesn’t need an appeal, he needs a fifty cent bullet.

  3. Sorry I meant no justice for Taylor or her family and friends.

  4. I think the appeal should be that he be sentenced to life with no eligibility of parole ever.We the tax payers have to house this animal and pay for the “justice” system.There is no justice in this life time for Marie or for her family and friends.There will be justice one day though when he stands before God the final Judge…

  5. He’ll be 54 years old whe he gets out ! How sad ! Laws need to change in Canada. He should never be released from jail, a life sentence , should be life, not 25 years ! Thoughts are with the girls family and friends

  6. What a waste of space this so called human being is. Not to mention tax payers dollars

  7. it truly is despicable. Inflicting this pain on all the people who loved Taylor for the sake of some lawyers and the POS himself with nothing better to do with his time… infuriates me.

  8. What a bunch of Crap.. He’s guilty,he should serve his time,he’s lucky he isn’t going threw what he put her threw..the suffering.. An pain.. The Family doesn’t deserve to be put threw it again.. He’s Guilty!!!!! Waisted Tax Dollors..

  9. WHAT A DIRT BAG…BET YOU WON’T LOOK SO SMUG WHEN THEY PUT YOU IN GENERAL POPULATION…IN THE MEAN TIME, YOU’RE LIKELY RATTING OUT EVERYONE YOU KNOW TO GET A LIGHTER SENTENCE.

  10. More wasted money on this appeal, Prayers for Justice for Taylor Van Diest, and for Strength and Justice for all Her Family Members.Put him away.