The steps leading up to a trial in BC Supreme Court in Kamloops involving a Shuswap man charged in the death of Ashley Simpson are slowly being completed.
After a series of court appearances aimed at setting a date for the murder trial to proceed, on Dec. 12 a date was set for jury selection. Jury selection will begin on Sept. 4, 2023.
Derek Lee Matthew Favell, 39, was charged in late 2021 with second-degree murder.
Ashley Simpson was 32 when she went missing in April 2016 from the North Okanagan-Shuswap. Her remains were found in November 2021.
Although previous court dates were held at the Salmon Arm Law Courts, the trial will proceed in Kamloops because Favell opted for trial by judge and jury. The courthouse in Salmon Arm does not have a courtroom that can accommodate a jury.
In Provincial Court in Salmon Arm on Oct. 20, 2022, Judge George Leven declared that the preliminary inquiry had provided sufficient evidence for the case to go to trial. Because there is a ban on publication of preliminary inquiries, no details of the evidence can be published until after a trial has concluded.
Read more: Preliminary inquiry around death of Ashley Simpson continues in Salmon Arm court
Read more: Emaciated pet survives -20 C, no food in his search for South Shuswap home
martha.wickett@saobserver.net
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