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Trial for man charged with murder of Shuswap woman changed to judge alone

Second-degree murder trial into death of Ashley Simpson will move to Salmon Arm
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Derek Favell, the man charged with second-degree murder in the death of Ashley Simpson, has changed to trial by judge alone so the trial will start on Oct. 30 in Salmon Arm. (File photo)

The man charged with murder in the death of a Shuswap woman has changed from trial with judge and jury to a trial with judge alone.

The venue for the trial has also changed.

Derek Lee Matthew Favell, 40, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Ashley Simpson, who was last seen in 2016 near Salmon Arm. He was charged in December 2021.

In March 2022, Favell elected trial by judge and jury. On March 1, 2023 in BC Supreme Court in Kamloops, he re-elected to trial by judge alone.

The trial, which was to be held in Kamloops as the courts there can accommodate a jury, is now scheduled to return to the Salmon Arm Law Courts on Oct. 30, 2023. The trial length is estimated at 20 days.

Prior to the start of the trial, a voir dire will be held on Sept. 11.

A voir dire is a separate hearing in which the judge determines whether evidence is admissible and can be part of the trial. Proceedings of a voir dire can91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™t be published.

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Martha Wickett

About the Author: Martha Wickett

came to Salmon Arm in May of 2004 to work at the Observer. I was looking for a change from the hustle and bustle of the Lower Mainland, where I had spent more than a decade working in community newspapers.
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