Keremeos senior, former Rotary Club president charged with attempted murder of wife

A Keremeos senior and former Rotary Club president has been charged with the attempted murder of his wife in what appears to have been an attempt at a murder-suicide. Brian Gene Reum has been charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault and had his first appearance at the Penticton courthouse, Sept. 25. The 68-year-old was charged a month ago and the incident related to the charges is alleged to have taken place in March. While details in the matter haven't yet been heard in the criminal court, Reum's wife filed an early civil case against him alleging he tried to kill her when they were at home in Keremeos. In the civil documents, Reum's wife said during an argument he approached her from behind and cut her throat with a serrated hunting knife. "(He) then attempted to stab himself," the court document said. The court document also said a month earlier Reum attempted to smother his wife with a pillow multiple times. According to the Notice of Claim, Reum is from Surrey and his wife is from Keremeos. The couple began living together in March 2023 and got married in February this year. Court records indicate they are currently going through a divorce which was initiated a month after the alleged attack. Social media posts show that Reum played an active part in the Rotary Club, along with his wife, and he was once co-president elect of the Merritt Rotary Club. The 68-year-old does not appear to have a criminal record in British Columbia. His next court appearance is scheduled for early October. None of the allegations have been proven in court. To contact a reporter for this story, email Ben Bulmer mailto:bbulmer@infonews.ca  or call (250) 309-5230 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .