Taylor Van Diest, 18, was killed Halloween night 2011 while walking to meet her friends.
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October 23, 2015 - 4:30 PM
ARMSTRONG - An annual walk in honour of murdered Armstrong teen Taylor Van Diest will be held on a different day this year in hopes of increasing turnout.
“Participation is dwindling of course, but that’s to be expected,” Taylor’s mom Marie Van Diest says. “It would be nice to see a few more people turn out.”
The walk has always been held on Oct. 31, the night Taylor, 18, was attacked while walking to a friend’s house. This year, so as not to take away from Halloween festivities, the family has decided to hold the walk on Nov. 1.
Another change this year is participants are being asked to meet at the Glad Tidings Church.
“We decided to switch up the route. It’s more the route Taylor would have taken so we thought it made sense to do that,” Van Diest says.
No matter what, she says the annual walk will continue indefinitely, although it might become more of a friends and family event in the future.
Anyone wishing to join in the walk is asked to bring a candle and meet at the church at 6 p.m.
As the family relives the memories of Oct. 31, 2011, they are also reliving the nightmare of the court system.
Cherryville man Matthew Foerster was found guilty of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years, but has since appealed the conviction. A hearing is expected to begin in June 2016 for the appeal to be heard.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infonews.ca or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2015