Man accused of killing Abbotsford police officer makes first court appearance
Posted November 28, 2017 10:09 am.
Last Updated November 28, 2017 2:54 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
ABBOTSFORD (NEWS 1130) – The man accused of killing Abbotsford Police Cst. John Davidson earlier this month has made his first appearance in court.
Oscar Arfmann, 65, wore red prison clothes at the appearance. But he wasn’t in the courtroom for very long. The case was quickly adjourned until January 12.
Given that Arfmann’s relatives have said that he suffers from mental health problems, Dan McLaughlin with the Crown was asked if any psychiatric assessments have been carried out.
“As the matter is before the court now, the Crown can’t make any comment as to the personal circumstances of the [accused]. Any comments that we will be making with respect to these proceedings will be made in court.”
“There are a number of options available to counsel for Mr. Arfmann,” says McLaughlin. “It’ll be up to him to decide which way he wants to proceed with this matter, to a certain extent. We’ll see what happens when we get to court next. The matter may be set for a preliminary inquiry.”
More details from Dan McLaughlin, who speaks for Crown prosecutors on Arfmann’s court appearance: pic.twitter.com/ayOGqkDg4k
— Martin MacMahon (@martinmacmahon) November 28, 2017
Arfmann has no previous criminal record.
Earlier this week, NEWS 1130 legal analyst Michael Shapray told NEWS 1130 that if Arfmann doesn’t enter a guilty plea or work something out with Crown Counsel, the trial could last awhile.
“They’re going to take a number of months, probably, just to get the evidence all together. It will depend on whether or not the accused decides to fight the case. If the case is fought, I believe that it will take a year or two — at the minimum — to fully complete. And obviously, if the accused ends up resolving the case at any time, then it could happen in a much quicker period of time.”
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Shortly after the deadly shooting on Nov. 6th, Arfmann was charged with first-degree murder.
Davidson was killed while he and other members of the APD were responding to reports of a vehicle theft near a strip mall on Mount Lehman Road. He was shot and died shortly after.
At his funeral, held last Sunday, APD Chief Constable Bob Rich told the crowd Davidson’s wounds were so grave that they couldn’t have saved his life.
Davidson had been with the APD for over a decade, prior to that he was an officer in the UK. The 53-year-old worked with youth in the community and participated in this year’s Cops for Cancer Ride, which raises money for children inflicted with the disease.
