Brock killer granted parole

A man who admitted to strangling his pregnant girlfriend to death 24 years ago in Brocklehurst has been granted day parole three years into his sentence.

Trent Alan Larsen, who is in his late 50s, pleaded guilty in September 2021 to manslaughter and indignity to a dead body for the killing of 27-year-old Angel Lyn Fehr.

Larsen strangled Fehr for five minutes with a lamp cord at their home on May 2, 2000. He then hid her body in a concrete-filled barrel, and had it buried on a friend’s rural property in the 100 Mile House area.

The crime went unsolved for 19 years when, on Sept. 14, 2019, Larsen admitted his guilt in a Mr. Big sting operation. He confessed the crime to a gangster who was, in fact, an undercover police officer.

The Parole Board of Canada granted Larsen day parole in a decision issued this past September, a copy of which was obtained by Castanet Kamloops. The board decided that Larsen will not present “an undue risk to society” by re-offending if released on day parole.

Larsen’s parole comes with numerous conditions, including that he immediately reports all sexual and non-sexual relationships and friendships with females, as well as any changes to the status of those relationships, to his parole officer.

Concerns from parole board

In its decision to grant day parole, the board said it was concerned with Larsen’s capacity “to carry out extreme violence” and his “ability to lie to the police for close to 20 years to avoid going to prison.”

“The board finds that the nature and severity of your offending and the devastating impact to the victim's family remain aggravating considerations in your case. With regard to your long term deceit, the Board finds that you require close monitoring to ensure you demonstrate transparency,” the parole board report stated.

However, the parole board credited Larsen with using his time behind bars to participate in correctional programs, in which he made positive gains, as well as voluntary programs specifically directed at addressing violence.

“In your presentation to the board, you continued to justify and minimize your offending, however you had good insight to the factors that contributed to your offending and demonstrated that you had already begun to apply the tools you learned in programs to stressors you have faced in prison,” the parole board report stated.

The parole board also said while Larsen has “more work to do in the area of personal accountability,” he has "a good grasp of [his] crime cycle and how to manage these factors going forward.”

Release plan

Larsen’s other conditions include that he must also refrain from using and possessing drugs and alcohol. He can't have contact with the victim's family, and must refrain from associating with people known to be involved in criminal activity.

The parole board report noted Larsen said he had a long history of substance abuse, and his offence was reportedly motivated by anger and impulsivity.

On day parole, Larsen has been accepted at a community-based residential facility, but the report has blacked out the location of where he intends to live.

It said his priority is to spend time with close family members who are suffering with serious health issues and to find employment, if possible, as a commercial driver or heavy equipment operator while on parole.

Lack of responsibility

According to the parole board report, Larsen is considered “a moderate imminent risk” to inflict violence on a partner and has “a low risk” of violence towards others in relation to family violence.

The report noted Larsen received a score on a recidivism scale which indicates four out of five offenders would not commit an indictable offence after release.

The report said Larsen has demonstrated a lack of responsibility for his crime.

“You have struggled with internalizing your responsibility for the index offence and demonstrated insensitivity and callousness when discussing it at intake,” the report stated.

The parole board report stated Larsen was assessed as having “medium” accountability, motivation and reintegration potential.

“Your file indicates that although you accept full responsibility for the index offences and demonstrate some regret for the victim's death, you still maintain that you acted in self defence and maintain a victim stance,” the report stated.

Death the result of a domestic fight

Fehr was five months’ pregnant with Larsen’s child at the time of her death, and grieving the loss of one of her daughters, who died in an accident two years earlier at just 18 months old.

In court, Larsen described Fehr’s death as the result of a domestic fight that went too far.

Court heard in an agreed statement of facts that Larsen awoke the morning of May 2, 2000, to Fehr straddling his chest brandishing a butcher knife. Court heard she was upset over the death of her daughter and felt that Larsen had not been listening to her as she described her grief.

Court heard Fehr threatened Larsen with the knife and he struck her with a lamp. A violent struggle ensued with Fehr stabbing Larsen several times as he wrapped the lamp cord around her neck.

Court heard Larsen did not intend to kill her, and later made attempts to revive her but to no avail.

The parole board said it took into consideration a victim impact stament issued by Fehr’s daughter in court.

Fehr’s daughter, who was under 10 years old when her mother went missing, said she spent years wondering why her mother left and that she wanted badly to have a mom.

History with dealing weed

In his parole board hearing, Larsen revealed new details about Fehr's death that were not heard in the agreed statement of facts in court.

He claimed she had also threatened to report Larsen’s involvement in managing a marijuana grow operation to police. The parole decison report said Larsen returned to growing and selling marijuana for years after killing Fehr when he needed money, noting he was not involved with gangs or violence when doing so.

Larsen also told the board he would not consider growing marijuana again, because the financial gain is “much smaller and not worth it now.”

Canada legalized marijuana in October 2018.

Five years left on sentence

Larsen had about five years left on his sentence when he was granted parole.

He spent 724 days in prison in pre-trial custody, giving him credit for 1,086 days (36 months) after factoring in the 1.5 days per day credit for time served.

He was sentenced to spend another eight years, five months and 24 days behind bars in September 2021.