The man accused of the murder of Ashley Simpson will be returning to court several times in March.
Appearing via video in Salmon Arm court on Tuesday, March 1, Derek Lee Matthew Favell elected trial by judge and jury on the charge of second degree murder.
Favell, 39, is the former boyfriend of Ashley Simpson who was last seen on April 27, 2016 near Salmon Arm. She was 32. Her remains were found more than five years later on Nov. 26, 2021.
Favell will appear in provincial court in Salmon Arm on March 8, when a time estimate will be set for a preliminary inquiry. A preliminary hearing determines if there is enough evidence to proceed to trial.
A bail hearing will take place during the week of March 28 in BC Supreme Court, likely also in Salmon Arm.
Ashley Simpson was one of five women who disappeared in the Okanagan-Shuswap region about five years ago. 2021 also brought the five-year anniversary of the disappearance of Caitlin Potts and Deanna Wertz, and four years for Nicole Bell.
Vernon’s Traci Genereaux, 18, was also missing but her remains were found in October 2017 on a farm in Silver Creek. No charges have been laid in connection with her death.
Read more: RCMP find remains of Shuswap woman missing for five years, former boyfriend charged
Read more: Man charged in death of missing Shuswap woman appears in Salmon Arm court
martha.wickett@saobserver.net
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