The Truth About Amy – Episode 6: Ex-friend Joshua Bryden of Amy Wensley wants family to drop fight
Joshua Bryden was there on the day Amy Wensley died. And then he wasn’t. And then he was.
Another close friend of Amy’s partner David Simmons, Mr Bryden knew the couple well, regularly eating, drinking, shooting and spending time with them both.
But, on the day Ms Wensley died from a shotgun shell to the head, Mr Bryden maintains while he saw the couple fight and shout, and saw Amy preparing to leave, he himself had left before the fatal shot rang out.
And when he returned, he was not told that his friend — his close friend’s girlfriend — was dead.
In the latest episode of Seven’s podcast The Truth About Amy, journalists Liam Bartlett and Alison Sandy take that story to Mr Bryden.
And while he didn’t want to add anything more of substance, he had some advice for Amy’s mother, and sister, and daughters.
“Amy’s family need to let it go. The truth was found at the coronial inquest,” he said.
Camera IconAnother close friend of Amy’s partner David Simmons, Mr Bryden (left) knew the couple well, regularly eating, drinking, shooting and spending time with them both. Credit: IAIN GILLESPIE/The West Australian
That inquest, into the 2014 death, didn’t get to the truth in fact. Deputy coroner Sarah Linton returned an open finding — because she could not reach the same conclusion as police who ruled it a suicide.
But she could also not rule conclusively that foul play was involved.
Leaving Amy’s family in a continuing limbo of not knowing.
During that inquest, Mr Bryden told the coroner that his observations were that Amy and Mr Simmons had a “cheery, happy and normal relationship”.
That was in contrast to Amy’s close female friends, who told of concerns about jealousy, and control and some violence.
He told of how it was Amy who was angry and volatile that afternoon when he returned to the house with Mr Simmons, concluding that was because they had been late, they had been drinking, and they had failed to be in contact.
And he told police that while Amy and David fought, he left to go to his home to feed his dogs and then planned to shoot some pigs.
On returning to Mr Simmons’ home about 45 minutes later, he was met there by their mutual friend, Gareth Price.
He claims he was told to leave — but was not told why. He was not told that the woman he was swapping jokes with about chocolate slice just a day earlier was dead.
It was only the following he day he found that out, he told police. And he later gave evidence “he had never had the impression that Amy might be suicidal and she had never spoken to him about being depressed”.
But, he told the inquest he also never considered that Mr Simmons might have been capable of firing the fatal shot.
“I don’t know … you just don’t know what is going on with depression,” Mr Bryden said.
Camera IconGareth Price spoke to Spotlight over the cold case investigation of Amy Wensley. Credit: Unknown/SPOTLIGHT
Seven tracked down Mr Bryden and asked him if he was willing to answer questions.
“I’ve moved on with my life. I’ve told the reporters 100 times before. Leave me alone,” he said.
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