Jessie Simpson was just 18 years old when he was beaten with an aluminum baseball bat, an incident that left him permanently brain-damaged.
Image Credit: FACEBOOK / Sue Simpson
November 27, 2020 - 6:00 AM
A young man whose life drastically changed when he was beaten with a baseball bat is receiving a special Christmas gift this year.
Jesse Simpson was 18 years old on June 19, 2016, when he was walking home from a graduation party. He was looking for a friend’s address when he approached the wrong house and was assaulted by Kristopher Teichrieb.
Teichrieb struck Jessie on the head with an aluminum baseball bat multiple times, leaving Simpson in a coma. Teichrieb was charged with attempted murder and was sentenced to seven years in prison. Jessie will remain in a long-term care facility for the rest of his life.
His mother, Sue Simpson recently reached out to the Shambhala Music Festival group, asking for festival supporters to send him a Christmas card this year as he’s a big fan of the festival.
Back when he was injured, he had a festival ticket in his pocket and was excited to go, Sue wrote on the Facebook post.
"The team at Shambhala Music Festival were deeply saddened to hear about what happened to Jessie Simpson. We feel humbled that Jessie already had a love for Shambhala, and we will keep him in our hearts and thoughts. Jessie will always have a place in our festival family, and we encourage anyone who can to send Jessie a holiday card this year," according to a statement sent by the festival organizers. “We are sending him a holiday card and some merchandise.”
Sue said he will be flown Vancouver for kidney surgery next week.
She said she's grateful to the organizers and a man even offered his ticket to next year's festival.
A GoFundMe is also ongoing to raise money for a new wheelchair and to renovate Sue’s home.
“I am a single mother and have lost my job to stay by his side. Our goals are to get a new wheelchair and wheelchair accessible van. Jessie has outgrown his wheelchair and as a result his back and body are in constant pain,” she wrote in the GoFundMe.
Sue has asked those who wish to send him a Christmas card to mail it to P.O. Box 233, Savona, B.C., V0K 2J0
Find past stories on the Teichrieb case here.
— This story was updated at 10:55 a.m. Nov. 27, 2020 to include a comment from Sue Simpson.
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