Man convicted of execution-style murder of elderly parents
William Roger Campbell sits at his sentencing hearing on March 8, 2023. (Image by Clarksville Now)
A convicted embezzler was sentenced Wednesday to two consecutive life sentences for cold-case-style execution of his elderly adoptive parents over their $180,000 inheritance and staging it to appear like a burglary.
William Roger Campbell, 66, was convicted Jan. 20 of first-degree murder on two counts in the January 28, 2010 killings of his adoptive parents, Bill and Ina Campbell, 82 and 81.
“They were very loving and compassionate grandparents,” Shawn Campbell, the defendant’s son, said during victim impact testimony, reported Clarksvillenow.com. “Growing up, life wasn’t always the best, but they were always there, always by my side to help me with whatever I needed. If I ever needed someone to talk to, a shoulder to lean on or anything, they went out of their way to help me as best they could. You would do anything for me.”
“There is no one on this earth who has anything good to say about him (the accused). He was nothing but a nuisance and just a virus to everyone he was ever with,” said Shawn Campbell.
“I just want this court to be aware of the fact that the deep hatred I have for the defendant goes deeper than anyone will ever understand,” said Shawn Campbell.
Campbell’s attorney, Joseph Allen Price, called his 64-year-old client’s punishment cruel.
“At this point, the verdict that the judge renders, openly consecutive or concurrent on this matter, will be a death sentence for Mr. Campbell,” Price said, according to Clarksville Now. “Since he’s 64 at this point, if I’m right he would be 160 or 135 before he would be eligible for parole.”
The couple were found dead at their Tennessee home in 2010. Her house was ransacked. Each had been shot in the head once. Campbell was arrested in Georgia more than a decade later in July 2021. A grand jury charged him with two counts of first-degree murder.
At his sentencing, Shelby County Assistant District Attorney Marianne Bell advocated the most severe punishment for Campbell, who she says is a parole violator convicted of embezzlement in 1989.
“The defendant is a dangerous criminal whose conduct shows little or no regard for human life and no reluctance to commit a crime where the risk of human life is high,” she said, according to Clarksville Now. “He murdered both of his parents. Two good people in this community. A veteran, a former officer and bailiff (Bill), and a housewife (Ina.) And both had to die so he could inherit their nearly $180,000 estate.”
The judge appeared to agree with this assessment when delivering the verdict.
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https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/convicted-embezzler-sentenced-for-execution-style-killing-of-his-elderly-adoptive-parents-attack-staged-to-look-like-robbery/ Man convicted of execution-style murder of elderly parents
