Tensions ran high in the tiny B.C. community of Cherryville Friday, as locals reacted to news that a former resident and his father were charged in the murder of 18-year-old Taylor Van Diest.
Police announced Thursday that 26-year-old Matthew Stephen Foerster had been charged in the brutal Halloween night slaying of Van Diest in Armstrong last year, as well as two other attacks on women dating back as early as 2004.
Foerster has been accused of assaulting a Cherryville woman during a home invasion that year, and the sexual assault of a Kelowna escort in April 2005.
In the rural ranching community of Cherryville, population 1,000, residents said they were left heartsick by the allegations leveled against both Foerster and his father, who is accused of trying to help cover up for his son.
"It gets my heart going for that family," a woman who did not provide her name told CTV News. "I feel bad for all involved."
Others appeared frustrated by the accusations, as well as the media attention they have brought to the community. Some tried to block CTV's camera and prevent a reporter from speaking to locals.
"Everybody on the media is painting the whole family as a monster," one man said. "F--- off."
Stephen Roy Foerster, 58, was arrested at his family home in Cherryville on Wednesday and charged with obstruction of justice and accessory after the fact.
Matthew Foerster was taken into custody at a motel in Collingwood, Ont. the same day. He has been charged with six counts, including second-degree murder, sex assault, unlawful confinement, break and enter and assault with a weapon.
Both are scheduled to appear in court in Vernon next week.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Lisa Rossington
