British Columbia

Former home of B.C. man guilty of aggravated assault ordered to be sold with proceeds going to victim's family

On Thursday, the B.C. Supreme Court in Kamloops ruled that as Kristopher Teichrieb was aware a civil action would likely be filed against him, he fraudulently sold his home to his parents for a dollar in 2017 in order to avoid any proceeds going to creditors.

Kristopher Teichrieb was sentenced to 7 years in prison for the 2016 attack on Jessie Simpson in Kamloops

Jessie Simpson suffered life-threatening injuries after an aggravated attack by Kristopher Teichrieb in Kamloops, B.C., in June 2016. On Thursday, the B.C. Supreme Court ruled that the house formerly owned by Teichrieb will be sold, with all proceeds going to Simpson's family. (Jessie Simpson/Facebook)

A B.C. Supreme Court judge in Kamloops has ordered the sale of a house once owned by the man responsible for beating a young man and leaving him permanently brain damaged, with all proceeds going to the victim's family.

On Thursday, Justice Joel Groves ordered the house in Kamloops's Brocklehurst neighbourhood, previously owned by Kristopher Teichrieb, to be sold by Jessie Simpson's parents, who have been seeking financial compensation from Teichrieb after the attack.

On June 19, 2016, Teichrieb, then 39, beat Simpson, 18, with a baseball bat after he had trespassed Teichrieb's home yard, causing injuries that almost killed Simpson, according to the Supreme Court's judgment in October 2021.

In 2021, the court ordered Teichrieb to pay Simpson a total of nearly $7 million, including $3 million for Simpson's full-time care for the rest of his life, nearly $1.4 million to cover the loss of his future earnings, nearly $1.5 million to cover the B.C. Ministry of Health's costs for Simpson's care, and more than $432,000 to the provincial Crime Victim Assistance program.

But Simpson's family hasn't received any compensation since then. In Thursday's ruling, the justice said as Teichrieb was aware a civil action would likely be filed against him, he fraudulently sold his home on Clifford Avenue to his parents for a dollar in 2017 to avoid any proceeds going to creditors.

An image of a blocky white building. Lettering reads 'Kamloops Law Courts'.
The B.C. Supreme Court justice in Kamloops said as Teichrieb was aware a civil action would likely be filed against him, he fraudulently sold his home on Clifford Avenue to his parents for a dollar in 2017 to avoid any proceeds going to creditors. (CBC)

The justice said Teichrieb bought the home with his parents in 2010, with two-thirds of the ownership going to him and the remaining going to his mother, Cheryl. She transferred the title fully to him in 2016, before he transferred the title back to her.

B.C. Assessment estimates the home's value at $973,000, but the justice said the equity isn't known yet as the home is heavily mortgaged and needs major renovation.

The justice also ordered Cheryl Teichrieb to move out of the house by April 30.

Teichrieb sentenced to 7 years for aggravated assault

Teichreib was initially charged with attempted murder, but pleaded guilty to aggravated assault. According to evidence from his sentencing, Teichrieb was angered by escalating property crime and violence in his neighbourhood in the weeks and months before the attack.

He was sentenced to seven years of imprisonment in 2018, and was released early in 2021.

Simpson, now 25, has been under 24/7 care with his mother, Susanna Simpson, by his side constantly. 

Susanna Simpson, right, has been at her son's side constantly. (Shelley Joyce/CBC)

She took a leave from her job as elders coordinator for the Skeetchestn Indian Band in order to care for him, but was fired when she could not commit to a firm return date. The court-mandated compensation includes $75,000 to cover the income she has forgone.

In trying to calculate Simpson's loss of future earnings, the judge speculated that Simpson most likely would have gone into roofing as a profession. The amount has been adjusted to reflect a life expectancy doctors say has likely been cut short to 61.7 years.

Corrections

  • The initial version of this article said Kristopher Teichrieb served seven years in prison. In fact, he was sentenced to seven years in 2018 and released in 2021.
    Feb 16, 2023 4:56 PM PT

With files from Marcella Bernardo and Jason Proctor