The family of Cameron Kerr, who died in a 2018 hit-and-run near Terrace, was told on Oct. 14 that a Nov. 2 provincial court trial would not proceed.
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Charges against Taylor Stogryn, 37, and Conrad Wierzbicki, 35, accused in a deadly hit-and-run near Terrace nearly eight years ago have been stayed weeks before their trial was set to begin.
According to Kerr’s family, they met with RCMP and Crown counsel on Wednesday, Oct. 14, and were informed the Nov. 2 trial would not be proceeding. Family members said the decision was connected to an issue with testimony expected from a key witness, a forensic pathologist.
Stogryn was also accused of failing to stop at the scene after the collision that killed Cameron Kerr, 30. RCMP allege Kerr was struck in the early morning hours of Sunday, Nov. 18, 2018 while walking along the shoulder of Highway 16, four kilometres west of Terrace.
Kerr’s brother, Garrett Kerr, said the family was told the Crown could no longer meet the standard for a likely conviction based on how the forensic evidence would be presented. “It’s really hard to understand how the justice system could lead us to this,” he said.
The BC Prosecution Service said in a statement that the decision to stay the charge was made due to “a material change in circumstances that meant the charge assessment standard was no longer met.” It added that it does not provide reasons for staying charges except in rare cases.
Criminal lawyer and former Crown prosecutor Rob Dhanu, K.C., said it was relatively rare to see charges fall apart close to trial. He said the Crown would need to resolve the issues that undermined its case before taking another shot at justice, and described it as highly unlikely the Crown would pursue charges again.
RCMP alleged that Stogryn and Wierzbicki were among a group of seven on a hunting trip at the time of Kerr’s death. RCMP also alleged Kerr’s body was rolled into a ditch, where it remained until he was discovered hours later.
The investigation included a later court fight over evidence. The BC RCMP Major Crime Special Projects Unit, RCMP said, won a 2023 decision to keep a critical piece of evidence— the suspect truck’s right side mirror— for an additional year.
Kerr’s family said the RCMP investigation remains open, and Garrett Kerr said the family has respect for the work police and prosecutors did on the case. He also said the investigation was hindered for years by a “code of silence,” despite repeated pleas from the family and RCMP for those involved to come forward.
Garrett Kerr said the family had “great respect for how hard police and the Crown worked” but described the system as not “set up to bring these people to justice.” He also urged the men to think about what Kerr would have done in an emergency situation, saying Cameron “would have done anything to help someone who was in trouble.”
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