Man given life sentence without parole for 25 years for B.C. officer’s murder

NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. – A man convicted of first-degree murder for the death of a British Columbia police officer has been sentenced to life in prison without chance of parole for 25 years.

Oscar Arfmann's B.C. Supreme Court trial last year heard that he ambushed Abbotsford Police Const. John Davidson and shot him twice from behind in November 2017.

The conviction of first-degree murder is an automatic life sentence of 25 years before parole can be considered, and the judge says that time served will be accounted for.

The officer's wife, Denise Davidson, told the sentencing hearing Monday in a victim impact statement that her husband treated everyone with compassion and fairness, yet he was shot in the back for his kindness.

She says he was a man who didn't hesitate to put his own life in danger as the job required, and he stepped out of his vehicle that day to bring a peaceful resolution to the situation.

She says she and Davidson immigrated from the United Kingdom with their three children for a better life and he once told her that he believed no one would ever shoot a cop in Abbotsford.

She says her life has been shattered by his murder and she has no vision for the future because she can't imagine life without her husband.

A psychiatrist told the trial Arfmann had psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia at the time of the murder, but was capable of understanding his actions, although he denied killing the officer even after the conviction.

His lawyer, Martin Peters, said it was open to the court to find Arfmann not criminally responsible for the murder because of mental disorder.

Instead, Peters said Arfmann directed him to tell the judge that he wanted to be sentenced for first-degree murder.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 3, 2020.