Ashley Simpson is pictured in two photos.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED: Cindy Simpson

CONTENT ADVISORY

On April 27, 2016, Derek Lee Matthew Favell strangled Ashley Simpson for 10 minutes.

When she was unconscious and close to death he grabbed a towel put it around her neck and pulled – he wanted to ensure she was truly dead.

He then drove Simpson's body into the bush before driving to his mom's house to destroy evidence. Ashley was 32 years old.

The 41-year-old then lied about it for more than six years.

Today, June 12, Favell sat in a Salmon Arm courtroom hearing how he'd destroyed the lives of Simpson's parents and family.

Ashley's mother Cindy Simpson told the court she'd cried enough tears to fill a lake.

"Ashley was taken away from so many people who loved her," Cindy said adding it felt like a piece of her heart was missing.

Through tears, Ashley's father John Simpson addressed the court.

"Our grief was compounded by six years of not knowing," he said. "What kind of person does that to a family."

John described his daughter as a "gypsy" as she loved to travel and be on the move. He and his daughter had come to BC to work cooking in a lodge in Northern BC. He wished he could have convinced Ashley to return to Ontario with him.

"May he rot in that cell," he said.

Ashley was reported missing in April 2016 from her home outside of Enderby. She was one of several women to have gone missing in the area around that time including Caitlin Potts, Deanna Wertz and Nicole Bell.

BC Supreme Court Justice Alison Beames called it a "brutal and senseless killing."

The court heard that on the day Favell killed Ashley they both been drinking and had been arguing a lot.

They were living in a travel trailer together and money was very tight. She wanted to leave and return to Ontario.

Ashley was cooking and threw a plate of spaghetti at Favell and he punched her.

She said she'd "see him in jail" and he began choking her.

Justice Beames said Favell had covered Ashely's body that night before putting her in a truck the next day.

He'd taken time to cover up his steps, cleaning the travel trailer with bleach and sending a text from Ashley's phone to him to make it look like she was leaving. He'd also packed a suitcase of her stuff.

Crown prosecutor Alison Buchanan described Favell's actions as "callous and cowardly."

"He lied to the police, he destroyed evidence, he deleted messages from Ashley's phone to make it look like she left on her own, he told her family she left and he did not know where she was," Buchanan said. "Mr. Favell kept that lie going for five years and seven months while Ashley's family searched for her."

These actions compounded the family's suffering.

For years Favell kept his mouth shut about what had happened to Ashley, as her family made yearly trips from Ontario to the Shuswap to search for their daughter. At one point they put up a $10,000 reward and fundraised so they could afford the trips to BC.

But sometime in 2021, Favell did open up, telling an undercover police officer that he'd killed Ashley.

Her body was found and Favell was charged with second-degree murder.

He planned to fight the charge but just before the trial got underway last fall he pleaded guilty to Ashley's murder.

His confession comes with 25 years of life imprisonment, however, lawyers argued over when he should be eligible to apply for parole.

Crown prosecutors argued for 12 years before being able to apply for parole, while the defence wanted 10 years.

Little was heard in court about the police's Mr. Big operation, only that it started sometime in 2020. An undercover officer had befriended him and they'd gone to the pub together. Sometime during the friendship, Favell had confessed to killing Ashley.

Last fall, Favell's lawyer had argued the police's evidence should be thrown out, but after several weeks in court, the judge dismissed the argument. A publication ban prevented the media from covering the proceedings.

The court heard how Favell was Indigenous and had ongoing substance use issues. He has fetal alcohol syndrome and grew up in a household of alcohol and violence. He began using heroin at 13 years old and dropped out of school at 15.

However, he had had points of employment and stability and had worked and bought a house and had two children. His relationship ultimately fell apart due to his substance use.

His 20-year-old daughter was sitting in the courtroom.

Favell told the court he was remorseful.

"As a father, I can never imagine the pain you and your family are going through... I'm sorry for the pain I've caused you," he said. "My actions led to the worst thing a person could ever go through, the loss of a child."

BC Supreme Court Justice Alison Beames said 10 years without parole eligibility wasn't long enough, and sentenced Favell to life in prison with no chance of parole for 12 years.

— This story was updated at 3:20 p.m. June 12, 2024 to include more details from the courtroom.

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