Kalen Schlatter (Toronto Murderer)

Kalen Schlatter was born around 1996 and lived in Toronto, Ontario. He attended York University and was 21 years old when he encountered Tess Richey in November 2017.

Schlatter had an interest in sexual choking and violent sexual activity that later became significant during his sentencing. Evidence concerning those interests was excluded from the murder trial but considered by the judge when determining his sentence.

During the early hours of 25 November 2017, Schlatter encountered 22-year-old Tess Richey in Toronto's Church-Wellesley Village after she had spent the evening socialising with a friend.

Surveillance footage showed Schlatter and Richey walking together into an alley shortly before 4:15 a.m. They entered a secluded outdoor stairwell at 582 Church Street. Schlatter emerged alone approximately 45 minutes later, and Richey was never seen alive again.

Prosecutors established that Schlatter sexually assaulted Richey and strangled her when she resisted him. His semen was subsequently detected on Richey's clothing, while his saliva was recovered from inside her bra.

Richey's body remained undiscovered in the stairwell for several days. After becoming dissatisfied with the initial search for her daughter, Richey's mother, Christine Hermeston, travelled to Toronto and searched the area herself. She discovered Tess's body on 29 November 2017.

Schlatter encountered Richey while she was socialising in Toronto and accompanied her to a secluded area away from the street.

The prosecution established that Schlatter sexually assaulted Richey during the encounter and manually strangled her. He then left the stairwell alone, leaving Richey's body concealed at the location.

Surveillance footage documenting their movements and forensic DNA evidence recovered from Richey's clothing became central components of the prosecution case.

Investigators reviewed surveillance footage from the area and identified Schlatter as the man seen accompanying Richey shortly before her death.

He was arrested on 4 February 2018 and initially charged with second-degree murder. As investigators gathered additional evidence, including forensic material, the charge was upgraded to first-degree murder.

Schlatter remained in custody while the case proceeded through the courts.

Schlatter's first-degree murder trial began in Toronto in January 2020.

He pleaded not guilty and testified in his own defence. Schlatter admitted spending approximately 40 minutes with Richey in the stairwell but maintained that their sexual encounter had been consensual and that Richey was alive when he left.

The Crown argued that Schlatter sexually assaulted Richey and strangled her when she resisted. Prosecutors relied on surveillance footage, DNA evidence and other testimony to establish his involvement.

On 23 March 2020, the jury found Schlatter guilty of first-degree murder. The verdict established that the jury accepted that the sexual assault and murder formed part of the same series of events.

On 25 March 2020, Justice Michael Dambrot imposed the mandatory sentence of life imprisonment with no eligibility for parole for 25 years. During sentencing, the judge considered evidence concerning Schlatter's interest in sexual choking that had not been presented to the jury.

The murder generated significant criticism of the Toronto Police Service's handling of Tess Richey's disappearance. Her mother discovered Richey's body only metres from where she had last been seen after travelling to Toronto and conducting her own search.

Schlatter subsequently appealed his conviction, arguing among other grounds that the trial judge had given imbalanced instructions to the jury and had improperly admitted evidence from undercover officers who had spoken with him while incarcerated.

His appeal was dismissed in January 2024, leaving his first-degree murder conviction and life sentence in place.