A Severn Township man is set to stand trial next month in the 2020 stabbing death of a 34-year-old Orillia man.
On the rainy evening of Nov. 19, 2020, Derek Simmerson was discovered lying on Coldwater Road near Emily Street suffering from "severe trauma." The 34-year man died shortly after being taken to Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital in Orillia.
Three days later, Justice Snache, of Severn Township, contacted Orillia OPP and surrendered, without incident, at a Husky gas bar on Highway 11.
Police at the time said that Simmerson and the accuser did not know each other. It appeared that the victim was at the wrong place at the wrong time.
"We have not been able to find any previous relationship between the two, which is extremely unusual,” Det.-Insp. Matt Watson told OrilliaMatters in November of 2020.
“I don’t want to use the word random because it’s a bit inflammatory ... almost always there is a relationship between the victim and (suspect),” Watson said. “In this case, we have not found any evidence that suggests there was any previous relationship between the two and do not have any evidence that it began as an altercation or confrontation or anything like that.”
“There’s no evidence (Simmerson) was involved in any kind of criminal or nefarious activity,” Watson said at the time. “We don’t know what precipitated it.”
He said such a homicide is rare and concerning.
“It’s very unusual. I can understand why people would find that disturbing. I find it disturbing,” he said at the time.
Snache, who was 19 at the time of the incident, is undergoing pre-trial motions before Superior Court Justice Cary Boswell. He is scheduled to stand trial before a jury starting April 17.
