Man convicted of killing Abbotsford cop to be sentenced
Posted January 13, 2020 5:05 pm.
Last Updated January 13, 2020 9:42 pm.
NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. – A lawyer for a man found guilty of murdering a police officer in Abbotsford, B.C., says his client will not pursue a hearing to determine his mental state at the time of the shooting.
In an interview, Martin Peters says a court-ordered assessment found that Oscar Arfmann is schizophrenic.
The man found guilty in the killing of Constable John Davidson in Abbotsford in 2017 will not apply for a finding that he is not criminally responsible, despite a psych assessment indicating he could be eligible. Oscar Arfmann's sentencing hearing is scheduled for February 3.
— Martin MacMahon (@martinmacmahon) January 13, 2020
A trial in B.C. Supreme Court heard that Arfmann ambushed Const. John Davidson in November 2017 as the 53-year-old police officer got out of his vehicle.
Peters says the assessment report said it was open to the court to find Arfmann not criminally responsible because of a mental disorder.
Instead, Peters says his client directed him to tell the judge at a hearing on Monday that he wanted to be sentenced for first-degree murder, which carries a sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.
He says Justice Carol Ross has set sentencing for Feb. 3.