PRINCE ALBERT — Saskatchewan's Court of Appeal has lowered the manslaughter sentence for a former Mountie who shot and killed his lover in a park.
Bernie Herman was sentenced to 11 years in prison for the 2021 killing of 26-year-old Braden Herman in Prince Albert, Sask.
The two men were not related.
The Appeal Court dismissed defence appeals of the conviction and sentence but reduced the prison time to eight years, less about 10 months credit for time in custody.
The former officer, on trial for first-degree murder, admitted to the shooting but pleaded not guilty, claiming he was provoked by the victim and acted in self-defence.
The court also dismissed a Crown appeal that argued the former officer should have been convicted of murder.
The trial heard that the two men met on Facebook and, soon after, the Mountie invited the younger man to move into the officer's family home.
Court heard the relationship became sexual and began to affect the Mountie's marriage. The officer's wife kicked Braden Herman out of the home but the two men continued to meet up for sex.
Bernie Herman testified the sex wasn’t always consensual and that Braden Herman would get violent. Prosecutors said the officer's testimony wasn't credible because he continued to seek out Braden Herman.
Bernie Herman was wearing his uniform and carrying his RCMP-issued weapon when he picked up Braden Herman and drove to the park on May 11, 2021.
The Mountie testified that Braden Herman, who was naked, grabbed the officer by the face then walked to the back of the officer's truck and bent down to grab an object.
Bernie Herman said he didn't remember what happened next, but his gun went off.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 30, 2026.
The Canadian Press
