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According to the Daily Beast, 17-year-old Michael Campbell, a 16-year-old girl, died in South Dakota. After meeting him on a dating website, the girl ran away from home to live with him.
On Thursday, the court declared Michael Campbell guilty of first-degree manslaughter for killing 16-year-old Ritler of Mokolft, Wyoming. It is reported that Ritler and her body were found in the basement of Campbell's home on October 3 last year. Less than a week later, police found her body in the basement of the Campbell's home.
According to the Associated Press, Campbell said at a retrial hearing on Thursday, "We had an argument, and then I shot her in the head and killed her." Michelle Bolwick, a Mid County Attorney, said in court Thursday that the two teenagers met on a dating website Badoo. Bolwick said in court that the two first talked online for a few weeks, and finally they decided to decide to drive Campbell to pick up Ritler in Wyoming so that she could run away from home and live with him.
Prosecutor said on October 3 last year, Ritale was seen in a coffee shop about four hours drive from Cheyenne and then got into Campbell's car. Campbell drove her back to his home in Sturgis, South Dakota, about an hour away.
Campbell lives with his mother and when he gets home, his two teenage children start arguing. Bodwick said it was unclear what exactly caused the argument between the two, but Campbell picked up the gun and fired a shot at Ritterer in the head, and the situation completely worsened.
On October 6, police found Campbell's car and interrogated him. The next day, Ritterer's body was found in the basement of Campbell's house, and Campbell was immediately arrested. Bodwick said Campbell said she did not intentionally kill her when she fired. When Judge Kevin Kruel asked if he had any reason to murder Ritler, Campbell replied: "No."
Many details surrounding the shooting remain unclear as a Mead County judge sealed written testimony on October 10 at the request of the county attorney. County prosecutors said the case was “sensitivistic and could attract public attention.”
Since his arrest in October last year, Campbell faces charges of first- and second-degree murder. He filed a plea to Mead County Court for his innocence on the grounds of his mental illness, but Campbell later changed the plea application and reached a plea agreement with the prosecutor. The plea deal dismissed the murder charges against him, proposing a sentence of 55 years in prison, and he will be formally sentenced on July 10.
Campbell's defense attorney Steven Titas said Thursday that the case was not intentional murder, involving drugs and alcohol crimes. Judge Kruel said Campbell suffered from PTSD , but Titas said he would wait until the sentencing was announced before discussing the mental state of his client.
Titas said he plans to provide a compelling reason for why the plea agreement and a 55-year sentence is fair, and prosecutor Bodewick said the victim’s three families will make a victim impact statement at a sentencing hearing (which refers to the full statement of the impact of the crime on his physical, mental, economic and other aspects to provide reference for the court’s sentencing), which will play a key role in sentencing.
Campbell is now being held in a juvenile prison in Rapid City, with a bail of $1 million for . Judge Kruel told Campbell that he had forbidden any contact with Ritterer's family for the rest of his life, part of the plea agreement, and would also compensate them for $83,000 in mental damage in the future.
(Source: Asia Pacific Daily APD News)
