B.C. man convicted in Armstrong teen’s murder

KELOWNA, B.C. – A B.C. Supreme Court jury has found a man charged in slaying of a teenaged girl in Armstrong, B.C., guilty of first-degree murder.

The jury started deliberating Friday afternoon on the fate of 28-year-old Matthew Foerster.

Foerster admitted he killed 18-year-old Taylor Van Diest on Halloween night in 2011, but denied it was intentional.

The trial heard the teen was found lying near railway tracks, her skull had been fractured and she died a few hours later in hospital.

Foerster’s lawyer told court that he should be found guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter because while her client was having sexual thoughts about Van Diest, there was no evidence he intended to rape her.

But Crown lawyer Iain Currie said the fact that Foerster hit Van Diest on the head with a heavy flashlight, tightened a shoelace then disposed of the evidence, left little doubt he intended to kill her.