Penticton mother exhausted with justice system as accused killer appears in court

Delays test grieving mom

The mother of a young man killed more than four years ago is frustrated by the justice system, as one of the alleged teenage killers appears in court.

Taig Savage was killed in the early morning hours of Sept. 5, 2021, and his body was found in a field outside Penticton Secondary School.

The investigation into his death carried on for several years, culminating in official charges against four people, three of whom were minors at the time of the alleged crime.

They were arrested in April 2024, and Isaac Hayse Jack was charged with second-degree murder in May 2025. Jack is the only one who can be publicly named, as he was of legal age when the alleged murder took place.

Jack is being tried for murder in BC Supreme Court. He is being tried separately from the three others co-accused of second-degree murder.

A long journey

Tracey Savage, the mother of victim Taig Savage, told Castanet on Tuesday that when she attended court in March, Jack's defence lawyer, James Pennington, requested that the trial be postponed until next spring.

Castanet requested confirmation about the delay from Pennington's law office and did not receive it by publication.

Tracey said she is worried about the witnesses' testimony to the case being as strong as years have gone by since the attack.

"They're just delaying everything so that when the witness comes to the stand, it'll be five years later or six years later, they're gonna not have as good a recall," she said.

She's also frustrated by the accused individuals being allowed out on bail. She said she would feel better if those charged with violent offences were held behind bars.

"I wouldn't be as bothered by the time delays, and I would think that the lawyers would work quite fast to help them get out if there was a chance that they could. But at this point, these guys are footloose and fancy free."

Some of the young offenders have been in trouble with the law again, allegedly breaching their bail conditions.

The lone female charged in Savage’s death appeared in Kelowna Court on Tuesday for the start of her voir dire – a trial within a trial to determine the admissibility of evidence. She is now 20 and pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Two police officers appeared to testify in the morning.

Tracey said she's stuck as the courts slowly work through the trial, and is worried about the so-called “Jordan” time limit the case faces, which refers to a 2016 Supreme Court of Canada decision that set a 30-month time limit for trial in Supreme Court cases, based on when a charge is first laid.

If a case goes over that limit, a judge may throw it out entirely for breaching an accused's Charter right to have a trial within a reasonable time.

Mourning in the meantime

Tracey said she deeply misses her son every single day.

"My son was walking; he had no intentions of being in that situation at that time, he was just at the wrong place at the wrong time."

When her kids come to visit, they still can't go into Penticton, as it's too painful a memory.

The three who were minors at the time are due for trial in September 2026 in Kelowna.

Tracey said that, according to information shared with her through the court system, the trial for Jack has been pushed until May 2027.

with files from Kathy Michaels