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Convicted killer gets another year for attacking prison guards in Abbotsford

Charabelle Silverfox is in prison for killing Yukon man in 2017
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The grounds of Fraser Valley Institution for Women, located on King Road in Abbotsford. (Vikki Hopes/Abbotsford News)

A convicted killer who assaulted correctional officers in Abbotsford more than a year ago has been sentenced to an additional year in jail.

Charabelle Silverfox was sentenced Feb. 12 in Abbotsford provincial court after previously pleading guilty to three counts of assaulting a peace officer causing bodily harm.

Police previously said reports came in on the morning of Jan. 18, 2023 from Matsqui Institution. The property contains Fraser Valley Institution, the only federal facility in B.C. for women and one of six in Canada.

The caller indicated that four correctional officers had been assaulted by a 31-year-old inmate while she was being escorted to a different cell in the prison.

“The injuries sustained required the victims to seek medical attention at the hospital, subsequent to being given treatment at the scene by paramedics,” police said at the time.

Silverfox is serving a life sentence with no chance of parole for 10 years for stabbing a man to death and shooting arrows into his head from a compound bow in Pelly Crossing, Yukon.

RELATED: Sisters plead guilty relating to 2017 murder in Pelly Crossing

The death of Derek Edwards occurred in 2017, and Silverfox was sentenced in June 2022 after pleading guilty to second-degree murder.

Her sister Lynzee was also sentenced – for interference to a dead body – and received 30 months in jail followed by three years’ probation. After pretrial custody was taken into account, she had another 24 days left to serve.

The court heard after their guilty pleas that Edwards was killed after a day of heavy drinking that ended in Silverfox’s house in Pelly Crossing on Dec. 13, 2017.

The attack occurred after Edwards tried to remove Silverfox’s pants when she was asleep, the court was told.

A violent altercation – also involving another man in the house who came running when Silverfox yelled – occurred in the living room and basement of the home.

Silverfox stabbed Edwards in the chest and shot him in the head with arrows from a compound bow.

The two sisters pulled Edwards’ body onto a tarp, and Lynzee tried to mop up some blood that was on the floor.

A family member of the sisters was called to the house in the early morning and placed a 911 call after seeing the scene.

The sisters tried to stop her from calling police and then left for a neighbouring house, where they were arrested later that morning.

An autopsy later showed that Edwards had been stabbed 13 times, suffered 18 puncture wounds from arrow injuries, and had a deep slash to his throat.

Both sisters were initially charged with first-degree murder but pleaded guilty to the lesser offences in March 2022, just before the trial was set to begin.

During sentencing, the court heard that Silverfox’s criminal record included past assault convictions.

– with files from Jim Elliot, Yukon News

RELATED: Judge gives life sentence in 2017 Pelly Crossing murder