The charge against 21-year-old Kalen Schlatter of Toronto was upgraded to first-degree murder today in the Tess Richey case, say Toronto police in a news release.
He had been charged with second-degree murder.
Tess Richey, 22, was reported missing on Nov. 25, 2017, at 3 a.m. and was last seen in the Church Street and Wellesley Street East area after a night out with a friend at a bar in that downtown neighbourhood.
She was found by her mother, North Bay resident Christine Hermeston, and a friend a few days later, on Nov. 29, 2017, at 3:30 p.m., outside a building undergoing construction.
A post-mortem examination was conducted and it concluded the cause of death was strangulation.
On Sunday, February 4, Schlatter, was charged with Second-Degree Murder.
See: Murder charges laid in Richey murder (police video)
On Feb. 5, at 11:30 a.m., Homicide Detective Sergeant Graham Gibson held a news conference on the case. To view the conference, click here.
Today, the charge against Schlatter was upgraded to first-degree murder. If convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 25 years.
The new charge suggests that police believe Richey's murder was planned and deliberate.
Schlatter is scheduled to appear in court at College Park on March 22.
See also: Charge upgraded for Toronto man accused in 2017 gay village death
