Murder suspect to be tried by jury

A trial date has been set for a man accused of killing his girlfriend near Salmon Arm.

Derek Favell is charged with the second degree murder of Ashley Simpson who was 32 when she went missing in April 2016.

Her remains were found by RCMP in a wooded area outside Salmon Arm in November 2021, after a tip from the public.

Favell, who was born in 1982, was Simpson’s boyfriend at the time of her disappearance.

He was arrested and charged about a week after her remains were found.

The suspect was in B.C. Supreme Court in Kamloops Monday (Dec. 12) to set his trial date.

The B.C. Prosecution Service said jury selection will take place on Sept. 4, 2023 and the trial is scheduled to start on Sept. 11, 2023 in Kamloops.