Fugitive in 1982 bombing lived as dead classmate for 41 years
Speaking to local news media in Arkansas, Coffman’s family said they were shocked to learn that his identity was stolen. Coffman’s aunt, Sharon Ennis, told 40/29 News that Campbell “desecrated” her nephew’s “good name.” She said that Coffman died in a car crash on his way home after visiting his fiancee.
David Benatar, a lawyer for Campbell said that his client is “presumed innocent, and we should let the court process reach its end before jumping to any conclusions.”
Campbell, who graduated with an electrical engineering degree, had seemingly disappeared in 1983 when he failed to appear in court to face charges of first-degree attempted murder in connection with a 1982 Wyoming bombing, according to court documents.
In 1982, he was accused of planting a toolbox containing an explosive device at the doorstep of his estranged wife’s boyfriend in Wyoming. She opened the toolbox and the bomb exploded, causing her to lose a finger, according to court documents. The explosion also set the condominium and a neighbouring unit on fire.
After his arrest by the Rock Springs Police Department, in Rock Springs, Wyoming, Campbell was released on bond. Authorities issued a warrant for him after he did not show up to his court date.
Campbell first applied for a passport under Coffman’s name in 1984, “starting a long pattern of fraud that spanned decades,” according to court records, which also said that he obtained a replacement Social Security card in Coffman’s name in 1995, using an Oklahoma driver’s license in Coffman’s name.
After moving to Weed in 2003, Campbell bought property under Coffman’s name, authorities said.
Campbell’s cover began to fall apart in September 2019 when he renewed his driver’s license in New Mexico, according to federal prosecutors.
At the time, Campbell presented a previously issued license bearing the name “Walter L. Coffman,” Coffman’s birth date, and an address in Weed as well as a Social Security card and a US passport, both in Coffman’s name, according to court documents.
Record searches stemming from the license application showed that Walter Lee Coffman had been dead since 1975.
Following an investigation, authorities obtained warrants to arrest Campbell and search a 44-acre (18ha) property in New Mexico that is registered under Coffman’s name.
When officers went to carry out the warrants February 19, Campbell “greeted law enforcement armed with a scoped rifle, positioning himself in an elevated, partially concealed spot,” according to prosecutors.
Officers deployed stun grenades and tried to engage Campbell, who “remained hidden but later emerged from the wood line after repeated orders” and was detained, authorities said.
Authorities later found that Campbell’s rifle was “loaded and ready to fire.” According to court records, “the weapon was especially dangerous because of the high-powered ammunition it fires which is capable of piercing standard body armor.”
The prosecutor’s office said that 57 firearms and large quantities of ammunition were found on the property.
Campbell, who is being held at the Doña Ana County Detention Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico, was deemed a flight risk by the US District Court in New Mexico, according to court records. He will remain in custody pending trial.
After his arrest, the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office in Green River, Wyoming, requested a detainer be placed on Campbell in connection with the 1982 attempted murder case.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Written by: Aimee Ortiz
Photograph by: Kent Nishimura
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