A man accused in the fatal shooting of an Abbotsford, B.C. police constable will be held next January in New Westminster.
The trail for 65-year-old Oscar Ferdinand Arfmann was initially to be held in Chilliwack, where Abbotsford cases are typically tried, but a change in location was announced Tuesday.
"Among the reasons is the size of the courthouse here in New Westminster offers more flexibility – there are many more courtrooms here in order to accommodate a trial of this length," Crown Counsel Theresa Iandiorio told CTV News.
There is only one courtroom that can accommodate a jury in the Chilliwack Supreme Court. A large trial would mean the virtual shut down of the courthouse. There are also concerns surrounding public interest in the case.
The courthouse in New Westminster has 14 rooms.
"This particular courthouse is able to more readily deal with some of the perhaps unforeseen security issues that might arise," Iandiorio said.
The courthouse was also chosen based on the challenges of travelling to Chilliwack in the winter, she added.
Afrmann's eight-week trial by jury is scheduled to begin at the end of January 2019, with jury selection planned for earlier that month. Because of the widespread publicity of the case, jury selection is expected to be an involved process.
Tuesday's court appearance was brief, but Arfmann asked to be brought to court from the Surrey Pre-Trial Services Centre. He has the option to appear via video link, but asked in his first appearance in November to attend in person each time.
In this case, there was no preliminary inquiry in provincial court. The matter is going straight to trial.
Arfmann is charged with the first-degree murder of Abbotsford Police Const. John Davidson, a long-serving officer who was shot in the line of duty on Nov. 6. Davidson was the first on scene when police were called to a strip mall for reports of shots fired from a stolen vehicle.
A first-degree charge is automatically applied under the Criminal Code when someone is accused of killing an officer.
Arfmann was injured in a takedown not far from the shooting scene and has been in police custody since.
Few details are known about his motives or background, but court records showed a man with the same name and birthday pleaded guilty to impaired driving last year and was given a 12-month suspension.
Members of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said Arfmann had a licence previously, but at the time of the shooting he was not legally permitted to possess a firearm.
With a report from CTV Vancouver's Nafeesa Karim
