Preliminary hearing dates set for former Prince Albert RCMP officer charged with 1st-degree murder

A former Mountie from Prince Albert, Sask., charged with first-degree murder will be back in court in December for a preliminary hearing.

In a brief court appearance Wednesday, Bernie Herman pleaded not guilty to the charge stemming from the death of 26-year-old Braden Herman on May 11. 

The preliminary hearing is scheduled for Dec. 13 to 17. A preliminary hearing is where a judge decides whether there is enough evidence to warrant a trial.

Police say that on May 11, veteran RCMP officer Cpl. Bernie Herman phoned a co-worker and said he had "killed someone."

• Police say Prince Albert RCMP officer Bernie Herman confessed to co-worker he had 'killed someone'

He agreed to go to his co-worker's house, located just north of Prince Albert. The RCMP, whose district the house was in, were then contacted and Bernie Herman was taken into custody.

On May 12, 53-year-old Bernie Herman was charged with first-degree murder. He had served on the force for 32 years. He and Braden Herman are not related but knew each other for several years, according to police. 

RCMP said that during their initial response, Bernie Herman provided information as to where police could find the victim's body. 

Police say that when they located 26-year-old Braden Herman on the edge of Prince Albert near Little Red Park, he was dead and appeared to have been shot.