A Saskatchewan Mountie married to a woman has been found guilty of the manslaughter of his male lover, prompting complaints from friends of the victim who believed a first-degree murder conviction was deserved.Court of King’s Bench Justice Gary Meschishnick issued his decision Thursday. Bernie Herman, 55, had pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of 26-year-old Braden Herman. The two men are not related.Braden Herman’s naked body was found in 2021 in a park on the outskirts of Prince Albert and Bernie Herman testified that he had fired the lethal shot.The officer’s lawyers said the shooting was in self-defence. Prosecutors argued the Mountie deliberately lured his lover to the isolated area to kill him.Family of Braden Herman told the Canadian Press he was a “gentle giant” but was deeply affected by the suicide of his twin brother in 2015. His early years were unstable and difficult but he was adopted by a close family member and mostly raised in the Clearwater River Dene Nation near La Loche, Sask.Braden Herman and the officer met on Facebook in about 2018. Soon after, the Mountie invited the younger man to move into the officer’s family home. Although the Mountie was married to Janice Herman, he began a sexual relationship with Braden Herman and began to sleep in the basement bedroom with him.Janice Herman kicked the younger man out of the home in 2019, but the two men continued to have sex. Bernie Herman’s daughter described the men’s relationship as weird. She told the court they’d hold hands and sit closely together on the couch.Bernie Herman told the trial the sex wasn’t always consensual and he said he was afraid because the young man would get violent. Prosecutors said this testimony wasn’t credible, as the officer continued to seek out the younger man.Messages shown in court suggested the men shared love, affection and desire, but also frustration. Braden Herman told the Mountie in messages to be more open and accepting of himself.Messages between Janice Herman and her husband show years of conflict and anger over the homosexual relationship her husband brought into their home.“When you were having the time of your life in our basement, I was upstairs crying,” she said in a message two weeks before the killing.On May 11 2021, the Mountie was at an RCMP all-terrain vehicle training course and called Braden Herman 59 times. Later that day, wearing his uniform, duty belt and RCMP-issued weapon, Bernie Herman picked up the younger man. They got coffee and the officer performed a sexual act on Braden Herman in a Dairy Queen drive-thru.Then they drove to the isolated area and the Mountie testified Braden Herman grabbed him by the face. Bernie Herman said the younger man, who was naked, walked to the back of the passenger side of the truck and bent down to grab an object.The Mountie testified he didn’t remember what happened next, but his gun went off.The judge wrote in his decision that he didn’t believe Bernie Herman’s testimony that he had memory gaps, felt threatened or had no intent to harm the younger man. However, the judge was left with a reasonable doubt “that the Crown has proven that he was not provoked into acting as he did.”Meschishnick wrote that Bernie Herman was feeling trapped in an abusive relationship that was also causing his wife to drink. The judge wrote that in such circumstances, the threat of a possible assault could make an ordinary person lose “the power of self control.”Bernie Herman sent a text to his wife soon after the killing, saying: “Just so you know your life has changed from here on. I just shot and killed him.”Friends of Braden Herman told the Canadian Press they wanted a first-degree murder verdict, as he was not a violent person and they did not believe the Mountie’s testimony.Rochelle Herman said, “We feel that it’s very unfair.”June Hanson asked, “Why did he leave that day with his gun? Why did he pick up (Braden Herman) if he was so afraid?”Bernie Herman, who had been free on bail, is now in custody awaiting sentencing.“At least he’s in custody now. He’s not gallivanting all over the city like nothing happened, (like) he didn’t take a life,” Hanson said.“Bernie lived his life. Braden didn’t. Braden just started his life.”
A Saskatchewan Mountie married to a woman has been found guilty of the manslaughter of his male lover, prompting complaints from friends of the victim who believed a first-degree murder conviction was deserved.Court of King’s Bench Justice Gary Meschishnick issued his decision Thursday. Bernie Herman, 55, had pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of 26-year-old Braden Herman. The two men are not related.Braden Herman’s naked body was found in 2021 in a park on the outskirts of Prince Albert and Bernie Herman testified that he had fired the lethal shot.The officer’s lawyers said the shooting was in self-defence. Prosecutors argued the Mountie deliberately lured his lover to the isolated area to kill him.Family of Braden Herman told the Canadian Press he was a “gentle giant” but was deeply affected by the suicide of his twin brother in 2015. His early years were unstable and difficult but he was adopted by a close family member and mostly raised in the Clearwater River Dene Nation near La Loche, Sask.Braden Herman and the officer met on Facebook in about 2018. Soon after, the Mountie invited the younger man to move into the officer’s family home. Although the Mountie was married to Janice Herman, he began a sexual relationship with Braden Herman and began to sleep in the basement bedroom with him.Janice Herman kicked the younger man out of the home in 2019, but the two men continued to have sex. Bernie Herman’s daughter described the men’s relationship as weird. She told the court they’d hold hands and sit closely together on the couch.Bernie Herman told the trial the sex wasn’t always consensual and he said he was afraid because the young man would get violent. Prosecutors said this testimony wasn’t credible, as the officer continued to seek out the younger man.Messages shown in court suggested the men shared love, affection and desire, but also frustration. Braden Herman told the Mountie in messages to be more open and accepting of himself.Messages between Janice Herman and her husband show years of conflict and anger over the homosexual relationship her husband brought into their home.“When you were having the time of your life in our basement, I was upstairs crying,” she said in a message two weeks before the killing.On May 11 2021, the Mountie was at an RCMP all-terrain vehicle training course and called Braden Herman 59 times. Later that day, wearing his uniform, duty belt and RCMP-issued weapon, Bernie Herman picked up the younger man. They got coffee and the officer performed a sexual act on Braden Herman in a Dairy Queen drive-thru.Then they drove to the isolated area and the Mountie testified Braden Herman grabbed him by the face. Bernie Herman said the younger man, who was naked, walked to the back of the passenger side of the truck and bent down to grab an object.The Mountie testified he didn’t remember what happened next, but his gun went off.The judge wrote in his decision that he didn’t believe Bernie Herman’s testimony that he had memory gaps, felt threatened or had no intent to harm the younger man. However, the judge was left with a reasonable doubt “that the Crown has proven that he was not provoked into acting as he did.”Meschishnick wrote that Bernie Herman was feeling trapped in an abusive relationship that was also causing his wife to drink. The judge wrote that in such circumstances, the threat of a possible assault could make an ordinary person lose “the power of self control.”Bernie Herman sent a text to his wife soon after the killing, saying: “Just so you know your life has changed from here on. I just shot and killed him.”Friends of Braden Herman told the Canadian Press they wanted a first-degree murder verdict, as he was not a violent person and they did not believe the Mountie’s testimony.Rochelle Herman said, “We feel that it’s very unfair.”June Hanson asked, “Why did he leave that day with his gun? Why did he pick up (Braden Herman) if he was so afraid?”Bernie Herman, who had been free on bail, is now in custody awaiting sentencing.“At least he’s in custody now. He’s not gallivanting all over the city like nothing happened, (like) he didn’t take a life,” Hanson said.“Bernie lived his life. Braden didn’t. Braden just started his life.”