Murder charge against Vernon man lowered to manslaughter

VERNON – The last remaining person charged in the death of a Vernon man in 2015 has been downgraded to manslaughter from murder.

Tal Kalum La Riviere, born in 1987, was originally charged with second degree murder in the death of 42-year-old Jason Hardy, whose body was found in Polson Park in the early morning of Aug. 26, 2015. Court documents filed Sept. 22, 2017 show that La Riviere is now charged with one count of manslaughter in relation to Hardy’s death.

La Riviere appeared in Vernon Supreme Court today, Oct. 3, by video from the North Fraser Pretrial Centre seeking to re-elect his mode of trial for provincial court. Justice Frank Cole accepted the re-election and the matter was put over to Oct. 12 to fix a date.

La Riviere is one of three people initially charged in Hardy’s killing, however he is the only one still facing prosecution. The Crown stayed charges last year against two teens, stating there was not a strong likelihood of conviction.

Court records show La Riviere was also charged with a count of theft under $5,000, dated Aug. 26 — the same day Hardy’s body was found. That matter was settled on Sept. 9, 2015 when La Riviere was sentenced to 22 days in jail.

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