In Penticton Provincial Court a retiree pleaded guilty on March 4 to the aggravated assault of his wife in Keremeos

Defence for Brian Gene Reum requested a pre-sentencing report with a psychological component be prepared, which is expected to take several weeks.

In addition to the changed of aggravated assault, Reum had been charged with attempted murder for the March 28, 2024 incident. It is expected that the attempted murder charge will be stayed if the judge accepts the plea following the completion and review of the pre-sentencing report. 

Reum was also sued in civil court in July of 2024, where the details of the alleged incident were included in the civil claim. 

The charges both stem from an alleged incident on March 28, 2024, and according to the civil suit, on that day, Reum allegedly came up behind his wife and attempted to cut her throat with a serrated hunting knife. 

He then allegedly turned the knife on himself.

The March incident was not the first alleged incident listed in the civil court documents, which also claim that on Feb. 20, 2024, just 18 days after the couple married, Reum attempted multiple times to smother his wife with a pillow. 

Reum filed a response to the civil claim in October of 2024, rejecting the civil claims and further stating that any particulars would be prejudicial to the concurrent criminal proceedings. 

"After the prosecution has concluded further factual particulars regarding the conduct and actions of the defendant will be provided by the defendant in an amended response to a civil claim," reads Reum's response. 

The couple is also going through Family Law proceedings, however, those records are not publicly accessible. 

Reum no longer lives in Keremeos but instead resides in the Lower Mainland.

Defence and Crown did not state what sentence they were seeking for Reum, and whether it would include any jail time or if it would be served in the community. 

An appearance in May was set for the lawyers to confirm the completion of the pre-sentence report and to set a date for sentencing.