P.A. Mountie handed 11-year jail sentence for fatal shooting

A former Saskatchewan RCMP officer who killed his lover with his police-issued service pistol received an 11-year jail sentence.

Bernie Herman was found guilty of manslaughter in January and has been in jail ever since. He received 295 days of remand credit and after serving two thirds of his sentence, may be eligible for parole in over six and a half years.

The case dates to May 2021 when Braden Herman’s naked body was found in the outskirts of Prince Albert.

Explicit details of the officer’s sexual relationship with the man were prevalent throughout the murder trial, before Bernie was found guilty of the lesser offence. The pair argued prior to Braden’s death, but Bernie claimed the act was in self-defence. Despite sharing the same last name, the two men were not related.

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Justice G.A. Meschishnick weighed sentencing submissions vastly apart from both Crown and defence. Bernie’s lawyer Darren Kraushaar’s submission suggested a four to six year jail sentence, citing Bernie’s low risk to the public and lack of a criminal record.

Crown prosecutor Jennifer Schmidt called the offence “as close to murder as you can get” with her submission of a life sentence.

With the sentence, Bernie is ordered to have a lifetime ban on owning firearms.

More to come…