Jacob Forman is scheduled to make a court appearance Thursday in Kelowna court, accused of murdering his wife and two daughters. - Image: Facebook

Jacob Forman is scheduled to make a court appearance Thursday in Kelowna court, accused of murdering his wife and two daughters. - Image: Facebook

Kelowna man charged in murder of wife, children yet to enter a plea

Jacob Forman was in court Monday and is set to return next week

A Kelowna man accused of killing his wife and two daughters days before Christmas 2017 has yet to enter a plea.

Jacob Forman was in court via video Monday and he’s scheduled to return June 4. It’s unclear whether he will enter a plea then, but the recent court delay was attributed to Crown counsel Murray Kaay waiting on further disclosure from RCMP.

Forman was silent and sat with his head bowed through the Monday appearance except for the moment when the judge asked if he was listening and he answered in the affirmative. He is facing two charges of first degree murder relating to the deaths of his daughters, Karina and Yesenia Forman.

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The charge relating to the death of his wife Clara Forman is second degree murder.

Second degree murder is defined as all other murder other than first degree murder. So, if it is not planned and the perpetrator did not deliberate about it but still intended to kill someone, that is second degree murder. Sentencing for second degree murder ranges from life in jail with no parole for 10 years to 25 years until you are eligible for parole. If there are mitigating factors the jury can recommend the minimum.

First degree murder is deliberate and planned, with a couple of exceptions.

Sentencing for first degree murder, however, is life in prison with no possibility of parole for 25 years. There is no discretion on the part of the judge; that is the minimum sentence and it is automatic.

Clara Forman was originally from Mexico and worked at GoodLife Fitness, she wrote on Facebook that she met Forman 12 years ago.

“Met in January, started dating in July, engaged Oct. 27 married three weeks later on Nov. 11 at sunset. When I married Jacob Forman I left everything I knew to come to Canada and build a life,” she wrote, Nov. 11, 2015.

“God blessed our feeble efforts with good jobs, good friends, a great church family and most importantly, two of the best little humans a couple of people could ask for. Ten years later you are still the person I want to grow old with.”

Forman has no previous criminal record in B.C. A plumber, he was raised in Quesnel and social media indicates he may have lived in Vernon.

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