Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder of Ashley Simpson
The boyfriend of Ashley Simpson, a woman from Salmon Arm, B.C., has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 12 years after pleading guilty to second-degree murder.
Derek Favell received his sentence on Wednesday afternoon, following his guilty plea last October.
In 2016, Simpson, 32, disappeared from a rural property near Salmon Arm, a community in the southern Interior around 75 kilometres east of Kamloops, B.C., where she lived with Favell, her boyfriend at the time. Her remains were found in a wooded area outside Salmon Arm in late 2021, leading to Favell’s arrest and charge of second-degree murder a week later.
Justice Alison Beames handed down the sentence in a Salmon Arm courtroom on Wednesday, following emotional victim impact statements from Simpson’s parents, who described the “brutal and senseless killing” of their daughter.
Simpson was far from her family in St. Catharines, Ont., when she was killed in 2016. According to the court, Favell disposed of her body down a slope. Her remains were discovered after Favell confessed to the crime to an undercover officer.
According to her father, John Simpson, Ashley had told her family in Ontario in the spring of 2016 that she planned to hitchhike back to her home province.
However, she never arrived. Her parents shared with CBC News that they always hoped she would one day walk through the door unharmed. That hope was shattered when her remains were discovered in November 2021.
During court proceedings, it was revealed that police suspected foul play in Ashley Simpson’s disappearance, prompting a “Mr. Big” sting operation targeting Derek Favell, 41, in the fall of 2020.
The “Mr. Big” operation, a tactic where authorities create a fictional criminal enterprise and involve a suspect, saw Favell eagerly participating, as detailed in court. He provided assistance whenever requested by undercover RCMP officers.
As the operation unfolded, Favell confessed in detail to an undercover officer about the crime. Prosecutors disclosed in court that Simpson’s killing occurred following a dispute between the couple. According to Favell’s confession, he struck Ashley during an argument when she told him he would be incarcerated. He subsequently strangled her and disposed of her body near a forest service road from his truck the next day.
In a letter read aloud in court, Favell expressed remorse for the anguish inflicted upon Simpson’s family. He attributed his actions to a troubled upbringing and subsequent struggles with substance abuse. Favell expressed a desire to rehabilitate during his incarceration.
Under Canadian law, second-degree murder carries an automatic life sentence. Justice Beames noted that Favell had no prior criminal record and had pleaded guilty following the acceptance of his confession as evidence. However, she emphasized aggravating factors such as the domestic violence context and Favell’s efforts to conceal Simpson’s remains and destroy evidence in her sentencing decision.
