Published: February 15, 2007 09:13 pm

Clay’s mother stung by loss of daughter; Linda Simpson maintains son’s innocence

Click to view a slideshow of Thursday's proceedings, created by John Flavell

By BEN FIELDS — The Independent

Catlettsburg — Technically, Sally Fields won the day.

After having to hear endless testimony about her daughter’s drug problems, financial woes and depression, the man accused of killing her was convicted of murder, and sentenced to life in prison.

But Fields, the mother of 28-year-old Faith Clay, who was shot in the eye and killed on Feb. 16 of last year, said the victory is tinged with bitterness, as the loss of her oldest child has left a void in her life that cannot be filled, regardless of the conviction of Timothy Scott Simpson.

“Unless you’ve lost a child, you can’t really understand the impact,” Fields said.

Simpson, 24, of Ashland, shot Clay with a 9 mm pistol that had a two-liter bottle duct-taped to it as a homemade silencer.

The two had been living together for about three weeks when the shooting occurred. A state medical examiner said Clay died nearly instantly from the bullet that went through her brain from beneath the right eye and exited the left side of the back of her skull.

Clay had a high level of Xanax and methadone in her system at the time of the shooting, and had previously lost custody of her three children because of her repeated drug use.

Simpson’s defense attorney, Michael Curtis, attempted to portray Clay as someone who was suffering from deep depression, and ultimately committed suicide.

“This is her at Christmas,” said Fields, holding up a picture of her daughter, who is smiling in the photograph. “Does she look down and out?”

Simpson was given life in prison, plus five years for tampering with physical evidence.

Though she can’t get her child back, Fields said she did feel her daughter was vindicated by the verdict.

She also thanked Commonwealth’s Attorney David Justice and assistant Scott Reese for their prosecution of the case.

“Mr. Justice and Mr. Reese and their whole staff were wonderful,” she said. “Faith did things I didn’t approve of, but she was my daughter, and I’m just very pleased with the verdict.”

Meawhile, Simpson’s mother, Linda, was going through her own pain, knowing her son will spend at least 20 years in prison before becoming eligible for parole.

After the verdict was read, the woman broke down in tears.

During her testimony the day before, Linda Simpson admitted she put the gun used in the shooting in a chair after her son picked it up. Regardless of how the scene might have looked to investigators, she said she firmly believed Clay committed suicide, saying the woman was depressed and often spoke of ending her own life.

She maintained that belief after the trial ended Thursday.

“I’m his mother,” she said. “I know he’s innocent.”

Fields said she knows her daughter wasn’t innocent in everything she did, but wishes Clay would have had the chance to change her life.

“I know Faith had problems, but I also know my girl was still in there somewhere, and she was going to turn things around,” she said. “But she never got that chance, because (Simpson) purposely put a gun to her head while she was asleep and killed her.

“(Simpson) is still living, but we’ll never get to see Faith again.”