Testimony begins for trial in death of 18-year-old B.C. woman Taylor Van Diest

KELOWNA, B.C. – The first degree murder trial of a man accused of killing 18-year-old Taylor Van Diest is hearing from first responders who tended to the young woman the night she was attacked in Armstrong, B.C.

Today was the first day of public testimony in the B.C. Supreme Court trial for 27-year-old Matthew Foerster, who was arrested months after Van Diest died on Nov. 1, 2011.

Crown witness RCMP Const. Milan Ilic (ILL-ick) told the trial that when he got to the crime scene, which was near a set of train tracks, Van Diest was lying face down in a ditch and there were obvious signs of trauma to her head and neck.

Registered nurse Diane Roemer also took the stand, describing how she took finger nail clippings from Van Diest for examination.

Van Diest’s mother Marie said outside the Kelowna court house that hearing the witness testimony is like re-living the night her daughter was assaulted.

The young woman was attacked on Halloween night in 2011 as she walked to a party, and she died the following morning. (CKFR)