01312018 - News Article - Ex-Police Officer Convicted in Woman's Death

Also See:

11182015 - Tiara Thomas OIDV Murder, Portage Indiana - Gary/Hammond Indiana Police Officer Kevin Campbell Charged With Murder

Ex-Police Officer Convicted in Woman's Death
WBIW - 1340 AM News
January 31, 2018
http://www.wbiw.com/state/archive/2018/01/ex-police-officer-convicted-in-womans-death.php
Tiara--07

(VALPARAISO) - A former northwestern Indiana police officer has been convicted of murder in the death of the mother of three of his children.

A jury returned the verdict in the case Tuesday of 33-year-old Kevin Campbell in Valparaiso. Sentencing is scheduled for April 6. Campbell testified in his own defense during the trial, saying he had nothing to do with the slaying. His lawyers plan to appeal.

Tiara Thomas was found bleeding in November 2015 inside her Portage apartment and later died at a hospital. Authorities have said phone records indicated Campbell and the 30-year-old Thomas argued over nearly $1,500 in child support he paid and that creditors were calling him.

Campbell formerly was a Gary officer and was fired by the Hammond Police Department days after Thomas' body was discovered.

01312018 - News Article - Ex-northwestern Indiana officer convicted in woman's death

Also See:

11182015 - Tiara Thomas OIDV Murder, Portage Indiana - Gary/Hammond Indiana Police Officer Kevin Campbell Charged With Murder

Ex-northwestern Indiana officer convicted in woman's death
NWI Times
January 31, 2018
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/state-and-regional/illinois/ex-northwestern-indiana-officer-convicted-in-woman-s-death/article_72c1a8cd-1f27-52c8-91dc-a728385620a5.html
VALPARAISO, Ind. (AP) — A former northwestern Indiana police officer has been convicted of murder in the death of the mother of three of his children.

A jury returned the verdict in the case Tuesday of 33-year-old Kevin Campbell in Valparaiso. Sentencing is scheduled for April 6. Campbell testified in his own defense during the trial, saying he had nothing to do with the slaying. His lawyers plan to appeal.


Tiara Thomas was found bleeding in November 2015 inside her Portage apartment and later died at a hospital. Authorities have said phone records indicated Campbell and the 30-year-old Thomas argued over nearly $1,500 in child support he paid and that creditors were calling him.

Campbell formerly was a Gary officer and was fired by the Hammond Police Department days after Thomas' body was discovered.

01312018 - News Article - Portage mayor's campaign report includes $41K for criminal defense related to bribery charges

Portage mayor's campaign report includes $41K for criminal defense related to bribery charges
Chicago Tribune
January 31, 2018
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/news/ct-ptb-snyder-campaign-report-st-0201-20180131-story.html
In an off year for municipal elections, Portage Mayor James Snyder raised and spent about $102,000, according to his 2017 campaign finance report.

The 32-page report, filed Monday and on the Porter County government website Tuesday after a preliminary form was filed two weeks ago to meet a filing deadline, shows $41,000 in legal fees to two attorneys related to his November 2016 federal indictment, as well as $15,000 in payments to his wife for office work.

The form also reflects a $10,000 loan from John Cortina, Snyder's co-defendant in his criminal case and the fact that $2,000 of that loan has been forgiven.

Snyder and Cortina, owner of Kustom Auto Body in Portage, were both indicted in November 2016 on bribery charges. Authorities said Snyder allegedly solicited money from Cortina and an unnamed individual and gave them a towing contract for the city.

The two have pleaded not guilty. Their trials are scheduled for June.

"I believe my campaign finance reports are the most transparent in the region, and they demonstrate that myself, my campaign and my staff – we do things right," Snyder said.

The legal fees have appeared on Snyder's campaign finance reports for the past few years because he was being investigated before he was charged, he said.

The 2017 form reflects $21,000 in fees paid to Thomas Kirsch, who was Snyder's attorney before he was named as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana in October, and $20,000 for his current attorney, Jackie Bennett Jr. of Indianapolis.

"I have been under investigation and there were legal fees to Thomas Kirsch" in 2015, 2016 and 2017, Snyder said, "and you've written about it each year so it's nothing new."

Kenard Taylor, Snyder's treasurer and the person who prepared the report, admitted the legal fees were "a lot of money."

The fees are justifiable as a campaign expense, Taylor said, because Snyder is defending himself against charges related to his job as mayor. If Snyder is found not guilty, he added, the mayor could ask the city to reimburse him for the legal expenses.

Under Indiana Code and the state's manual on campaign finance, which mirrors the code, campaign funds can be used for "activity related to service in an elected office."

Whether legal fees fall under that category is unclear.

"Some things are judgment calls. If I were giving advice, I would probably advise against it," said Dale Simmons, co-general counsel for the election division of the Indiana Secretary of State's Office, adding his perspective might be different if a defendant was acquitted.

Misuse of campaign funds is a Class A infraction, Simmons said, a civil penalty that could result of a fine of up to $1,000, though that would be up to a local election board.

Snyder said his wife Deborah made more in 2017 than in past years working for him than she has in previous years, something Taylor confirmed. Snyder's 2016 form reflects $12,000 in payments to Deborah Snyder.

Snyder's office staff from his previous employer used to handle some of those tasks, Taylor said, and Snyder's wife is now doing that work.

The work, Snyder and Taylor said, involves the mayor's roundtable donors, for whom he schedules events with quarterly. Those donors, who include Cortina and make up a large portion of his campaign funds, donated $2,000 each year.

"You can imagine there's a lot of work to what we do," Snyder said.

Campaigns often hire workers, Simmons said, and there is no nepotism clause in the state statute that prevents those running for office from hiring relatives.

"But I know how people look at that," he said. "People raise an eyebrow. Some of those things are made campaign issues."

Some of Snyder's campaign funds were used for lunches and other details for city employees, according to the form, and also include $790, spent on Dec. 2, for carriage rides for the city's Christmas festival.

In the past, Snyder said the lion's share of what he's raised has gone back to city employees and fundraising, though that's changed since the indictment.

"Now because of the situation we have, it's less," he said. "A lot of expenditures outside of legal are for fundraising and to take care of the city because a lot of mayors have promotional budgets, and I don't."

01302018 - News Article - Jury finds ex-cop guilty of murdering ex-girlfriend in Portage

Also See:

11182015 - Tiara Thomas OIDV Murder, Portage Indiana - Gary/Hammond Indiana Police Officer Kevin Campbell Charged With Murder

Jury finds ex-cop guilty of murdering ex-girlfriend in Portage
Chicago Tribune
January 30, 2018
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/crime/ct-ptb-kevin-campbell-trial-verdict-st-0131-20180130-story.html

Former police officer Kevin Campbell was found guilty Tuesday in the 2015 murder of the mother of his children.

The jury deliberated for less than three hours Tuesday in Campbell's murder trial at the Porter County courthouse in Valparaiso.

A burst of emotion came from family and friends of Tiara Thomas as Judge Roger Bradford read the verdict. Most let out sighs and cried, and one woman wept into her lap.

"We were just praying that he didn't get away with it," Herbert Smith Jr., Thomas' uncle, said.

Campbell, 33, was convicted of fatally shooting 30-year-old Thomas, his ex-girlfriend, Nov. 18, 2015, at her Portage apartment she shared with her fiance, Marqtell Robinson.

Smith said he and his family were "relieved" and filled with "happiness," thanking the jury for its verdict.

"This did not need to happen," Smith said.

Campbell is set to be sentenced April 6. Susan Marie Severtson, one of Campbell's defense attorneys, said they will "absolutely" appeal.

"We think the jury got it wrong," Severtson said.

Campbell was "drowning financially" in the months leading up to Thomas' death, prosecutors said. His car was repossessed, he had 30 calls from bill collectors on his cellphone and he just paid for a wedding to his wife, Alicia Campbell, Matthew Frost, prosecuting attorney, said.

To add on to all that, Campbell's child support payments to Thomas "nearly doubled" to roughly $1,500 a month in June 2015 when he left the Gary police force to work for a better paying job with Hammond police, Frost said.

"The problem has one solution, and that solution is the murder of Tiara Thomas," Frost said.

Campbell was "working like a dog" with overtime and side security jobs to pay his bills, Severtson said.

"Was it hard financially? You bet," Severtson said.

But she said her client " was working as hard as he could, as best as he could, while still being a good father."

"It was not about the money to Kevin," Severston said.

The defense's primary argument was that there were no eyewitnesses or evidence linking Campbell to the murder. No one saw him near Thomas' home and no trace was found of him inside the apartment, Severtson said.

"There isn't any evidence implicating Kevin Campbell to be found," Severtson said.

But prosecutors walked jurors through a timeline that they said shows "everything's consistent" with Campbell killing Thomas.

Thomas' last text to Robinson was at 4:48 a.m., Frost said. Just before 3:30 a.m., Campbell left his home in Hobart, and he returned around 5:55 a.m., as shown by his home alarm system and frequent locations on his iPhone , Frost said.

Between that time frame, Campbell's iPhone pinged a cellphone tower near Thomas' apartment at 5:34 a.m., Frost said.

At 7:27 a.m., Robinson called 911 after finding Thomas shot in her bedroom when he returned home from working a midnight shift, Frost said.

While dropping off his children at school that morning, Kevin Campbell reportedly stopped at a park. The defense said he was throwing away a plastic bag of used tissues, but prosecutors said he was disposing of evidence. No bag was ever found, attorneys said.

In the weeks before the shooting, Campbell asked his son about Robinson's work schedule and told his son to be sure to bring his key to Thomas' apartment with him to Campbell's home. Prosecutors questioned why Campbell did this, while the defense said Campbell was just a concerned parent who wanted to make sure his children could get home safely.

Campbell had his children with him Nov. 17, 2015, at his home in Hobart, the night before Thomas died. It was unusual for Campbell to have his children on a school night, Frost said, but it was "important" to do so that night because "he had to have the kids there to solve his problem."

"How does he do that? He kills the mother of his three children," Frost said.

01302018 - News Article - UPDATE: Former Gary and Hammond cop found guilty of murdering mother of three of his children

Also See:

11182015 - Tiara Thomas OIDV Murder, Portage Indiana - Gary/Hammond Indiana Police Officer Kevin Campbell Charged With Murder

UPDATE: Former Gary and Hammond cop found guilty of murdering mother of three of his children
NWI Times
January 30, 2018
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/update-former-gary-and-hammond-cop-found-guilty-of-murdering/article_4e7d55ef-0eec-5595-865d-122c6e399a71.html

VALPARAISO — Former Gary and Hammond police officer Kevin Campbell showed no reaction when it was announced Tuesday afternoon that a jury found him guilty of murdering the mother of three of his children just more than two years ago.

The mother of the 30-year-old murder victim, Tiara Thomas, sobbed aloud in the courtroom after the verdict was read by Porter Superior Court Judge Roger Bradford.

The jury had deliberated for three hours.

"We're pleased that it came back guilty," said Herbert Smith Jr., who is an uncle to Thomas.

"All involved did an excellent job," he said.

Portage Police Chief Troy Williams said, "We hope this verdict can offer some measure of closure for Tiara's family. We are thankful for the efforts of the officers and prosecutors involved in this case and thank the jury for their time and dedication to the trial."

Campbell, who will remain in jail without bond, is scheduled to be sentenced at 1 p.m. April 6.

Following closing arguments earlier in the day, jurors were left to decide whether Thomas was killed as a result of a well-planned ambush by Campbell or during a struggle with an unknown attacker.

"This man is who happened to Tiara Thomas," Porter County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Matt Frost said while pointing at 33-year-old Campbell during closing arguments in the 10-day murder trial.

"Her death was the only answer," he said.

Prosecutors have argued Campbell repeatedly shot Thomas at her Portage apartment during the early morning hours of Nov. 18, 2015, in part, to get out of paying $355 a week in child support creating a "financial quagmire" that already had resulted in his vehicle being repossessed, his mortgage payments falling behind and numerous bill collectors hounding him on his cellphone.

The security system at Campbell's Hobart home showed his front door opened at 3:25 a.m. on the day of the shooting and was opened again at 5:55 a.m., Frost said. Thomas had sent a text to her fiance at 4:48 a.m. and was found shot when he returned home from work shortly before 7:30 a.m.

Campbell's cellphone connected with a tower near Thomas' apartment at 5:34 a.m. the same morning, Frost said.

Campbell also had the children stay at his home the night before the killing and had never done that on a school night before, Frost said.

Defense attorney Susan Severtson called the case against Campbell a rush to judgment by police and said there is no physical evidence linking her client to the shooting.

She held up photos of the shooting scene and told jurors there clearly had been a struggle, contrary to the surprise ambush portrayed by prosecutors. She said there were laundry detergent bottles near the apartment door and the door was unlocked, which gives the appearance Thomas was up early doing laundry when someone attacked her.

No one saw Campbell at Thomas' apartment on the morning in question, she said. The defense has argued that Campbell's home doors were opening and closing overnight because he and his wife were placing diapers outside from an ill child.

Severtson also challenged the cellphone evidence used against Campbell, saying there were 39 cellphone towers near Thomas' apartment and only one reportedly picked up his phone.

"It never happened," she said.

Severtson dismissed the alleged financial motive for the shooting by saying Campbell's response to the increased child support payments was to work second and third jobs, not to murder Thomas.

01292018 - News Article - Former Sheriff John Buncich appeals his bribery conviction

Former Sheriff John Buncich appeals his bribery conviction
NWI Times
January 29, 2018
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/former-sheriff-john-buncich-appeals-his-bribery-conviction/article_7d8ad422-0347-5eaa-a7bc-006739af8375.html

HAMMOND — Former Sheriff John Buncich is appealing his conviction for public corruption.

Buncich, who is incarcerated at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago, is challenging the result of last year's trial where a U.S. District Court jury found the former top cop guilty of bribery.

U.S. District Court Judge James Moody on Jan. 16 ordered Buncich to immediately begin serving a 188-month prison term.

Highland attorney Kerry C. Connor filed notices this weekend in U.S. District Court that she is entering the case to file an appeal on Buncich's behalf. Valparaiso lawyer Bryan Truitt, Buncich's trial lawyer, said he will be working with Connor.

"We believe there are excellent issues on appeal. We fully expect success on appeal. We remain committed to John’s actual innocence," Truitt said.

A federal grand jury indicted Buncich, Timothy Downs, Buncich's second-in-command, with soliciting and receiving bribes, and William Szarmach, a Lake Station towing firm owner and longtime Buncich friend, with paying bribes.

Downs and Szarmach pleaded guilty to their charges. Buncich denied all wrongdoing and went to trial over 14 days in August.

Government prosecutors presented evidence that Szarmach and undercover government informant Scott Jurgensen, owner of Samson's Towing of Merrillville, paid the sheriff tens of thousands of dollars between 2014 and 2016 for the choicest towing districts, and that Buncich delivered.

The government equipped Jurgensen with audio and video equipment that recorded payments for jurors to see.

Buncich, who was elected sheriff in 1994, 1998, 2010 and 2014, and named chairman of the Lake County Democratic Party in 2014, said the money was all legitimate campaign contributions with no strings attached.

Federal prosecutors said Buncich's sale of campaign fundraising tickets to the more than 10 towing firms doing business with the county was a cover for Buncich's personal enrichment.

Truitt argued earlier that Moody shouldn't have let government prosecutors tell jurors about large amounts of money entering Buncich's personal bank account during the two-year period.

The defense argued the deposits weren't evidence of wrongdoing because they don't match the amounts or timing of payments Szarmach and Jurgensen made to Buncich.

Jurors returned a guilty verdict Aug. 24, forcing Buncich from office. One of his political opponents, Oscar Martinez Jr., was named by a Democratic party caucus to occupy Buncich's old office.

01292018 - News Article - Former Lake County Sheriff Buncich to appeal corruption conviction

Former Lake County Sheriff Buncich to appeal corruption conviction
Chicago Tribune
January 29, 2018
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/news/ct-ptb-john-buncich-appeal-st-0130-20180129-story.html

Former Lake County Sheriff John Buncich is readying to appeal his conviction on corruption charges.

Attorney Kerry Connor, who is representing Buncich, filed a notice of appeal Saturday in the Northern District of Indiana, saying an appeal of the former sheriff's conviction would be filed in the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago.

Buncich, 72, was convicted for using his office to solicit bribes from tow operators, according to court records, and is currently being held at the Metropolitan Correction Center, a federal holding facility in Chicago, pending a transfer to another facility.

Judge James Moody sentenced Buncich to 15 years and eight months in federal prison after he was convicted of bribery and wire fraud during a 14-day trial in August.

Connor, a Highland-based attorney, did not return a call for comment Monday.

The U.S. Attorney's Office does not comment on pending cases.

Court documents filed ahead of the appeal did not indicate the substance of the former sheriff's arguments Buncich's attorney will make to the 7th Circuit.

Buncich, former Chief Timothy Downs and William Szarmach, of C.S.A. Towing, were named in a multicount indictment in November 2016 alleging a towing scheme where the sheriff accepted bribes in the form of thousands of dollars in cash and donations to his campaign fund, Buncich Boosters, according to court records.

Downs pleaded guilty in December 2016, according to court documents, and Szarmach pleaded guilty in July 2017. Both agreed to testify against Buncich during his August trial.

01272018 - News Article - Portage Mayor James Snyder - Campaign Report - Amendment

Portage Mayor James Snyder - Campaign Report - Amendment
January 27, 2018
http://www.porterco.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/2797

01272018--Snyder-2017-Campaign-Report--Citizens-For-Snyder--Amendment

01252018 - News Article - UPDATE: Accused tells jurors he did not murder the mother of their three children

Also See:

11182015 - Tiara Thomas OIDV Murder, Portage Indiana - Gary/Hammond Indiana Police Officer Kevin Campbell Charged With Murder

UPDATE: Accused tells jurors he did not murder the mother of their three children
NWI Times
January 25, 2018
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/update-accused-tells-jurors-he-did-not-murder-the-mother/article_a390a9db-6c4d-51f7-9f3f-485d013a9f9b.html

VALPARAISO — Former Gary and Hammond police officer Kevin Campbell told jurors Thursday morning he had nothing to do with the Nov. 18, 2015, shooting death of the mother of three of his children at her Portage apartment.

Campbell, 33, occasionally became choked up and wiped tears from his eyes as he spoke for the first time after spending nearly three weeks listening to evidence prosecutors said identify him as the person responsible for murdering 30-year-old Tiara Thomas.

Campbell testified that he learned of the shooting that same morning while returning from taking the couple's three children to school from his Hobart home where they had stayed the night before.

When asked by Porter County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Matt Frost why he twice refrained from telling police he stopped at a park to dispose of a bag while taking his children to school that morning, Campbell said he had a lot on his mind after learning about the death of his mother's children.

"I simply forgot, that's all," he said.

Campbell said he immediately cooperated with police and agreed to undergo a gunshot residue test on his body, which was never carried out.

Prosecutors have said the couple's relationship had deteriorated to the point of a "contentious breakup" and Campbell's child support obligation was nearly doubled to $355 a week shortly before the killing.

Campbell said he ended the relationship after learning about Thomas' repeated infidelities. He also described her deciding at the last minute not to let their children take part in his wedding to another woman.

He told both his attorney and Frost that the increased child support payments did not pose a financial hardship since he and his wife were working.

While he said he was behind in making car and house payments due to the cost of his wedding, Campbell said he was in the process of resolving his debt.

When Frost questioned him about having 30 tax collector calls on his cell phone and having more than $29,000 of debt in collections, Campbell challenged the figures saying there were only two collectors and $17,000 of the debt was student loans.

Campbell also challenged claims that it was unusual for him to have asked his son to bring him a key to their mother's apartment less than two weeks before the shooting. He said he routinely reminded his son to bring a key so he would not be locked out, even though Frost said on the visit in question it had been arranged to return the children directly to their mother.

Prosecutors have argued that it was unusual for Campbell to take his children overnight during a school week and he confirmed for Frost that he carried through with the visit at the time of the shooting despite being ill with the flu.

Closing arguments in the trial are expected to take place Tuesday morning before Porter Superior Court Judge Roger Bradford.

01252018 - News Article - Former Hammond cop takes the stand, tearfully denies role in ex's shooting death

Also See:

11182015 - Tiara Thomas OIDV Murder, Portage Indiana - Gary/Hammond Indiana Police Officer Kevin Campbell Charged With Murder

Former Hammond cop takes the stand, tearfully denies role in ex's shooting death
Post Tribune
January 25, 2018
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/crime/ct-ptb-campbell-testifies-murder-trial-st-0126-20180125-story.html

A sometimes tearful Kevin Campbell told a jury Thursday he was cooperative with Portage police when he was questioned in the hours after his ex-girlfriend's murder, but that had changed when he found out police had removed his oldest son from classes at Willowcreek Middle School in Portage.

"I wanted to be cooperative and give them what they needed so I could get to my children, because they were my No. 1 priority," said Campbell.

Campbell, 33, of Hobart, is charged with murder in the Nov. 18, 2015, death of Tiara Thomas, with whom he shared three children.

"They were still in school," he said, choking back sobs, "I didn't want them to hear what happened from anybody else."

Police told Campbell, a former Hammond police officer, his children were still in school, he said, but he became "furious" when he found out his son had been removed from class.

Under cross-examination from Chief Deputy Prosecutor Matt Frost, Campbell said being told something by a police officer means nothing to him because he's been lied to by the police before.

"In fact, you were angry (your son) was with police because you were afraid of what he might be telling them," Frost said.

"Absolutely not," Campbell said.

Under questioning from Susan Severtson, one of his defense attorneys, Campbell denied involvement in Thomas' death.

"Did you have anything to do with the death of Tiara Thomas?" Severtson asked.

"No, ma'am, I did not," Campbell said.

Campbell is the defense's last witness in the third week of the trial at the Porter County courthouse in Valparaiso. Attorneys are expected to present closing arguments next week.

Campbell is accused of fatally shooting Thomas in the apartment she shared with her fiance in the Park Place apartment complex. Dressed in a black suit, Campbell took breaks to wipe away tears as he answered questions from attorneys.

Campbell and Thomas dated for 14 years, he said, and were high school sweethearts after meeting in middle school.

Campbell said he learned Thomas had been shot after receiving a call from her mother, Lisa Mays. Campbell said he went to Methodist Hospitals Northlake in Gary, where Thomas was taken. When he arrived, his dad was there "shaking his head and crying," Campbell said.

"I knew it was official. She was gone," Campbell said.

He wanted to see Thomas' body, he said, but he was unable to do so.

"It wasn't enough to hear it from somebody, I guess," Campbell said.

Under questioning from Severtson, Campbell said he took his children, who stayed with him at his Hobart home the night before Thomas was killed, to a park in Lake Station to throw out a grocery bag of "snot tissues" from his youngest child on their way to school in Portage.

Campbell said he put the bag in the garbage at the park.

"Did you throw out anything else?" Severtson asked.

"No," Campbell responded.

During cross-examination, Frost said Campbell twice told police he did not make any stops between his home and Willowcreek Middle School.

"That is two lies then, correct?" Frost said.

Campbell said he "simply forgot" about the stop at the park. His response to police, he said, was because of "my state of mind an hour after I found out someone I loved dearly was killed."

Campbell's finances have come up repeatedly during the trial.

Campbell had received voicemails from creditors, and his bank account balance was $7.58, according to court records.

He said in court that money was tight because he had paid for his wedding to Alicia Campbell on July 4, 2015. He admitted he was behind on some bills for car and house payments, but paying child support was not a hardship.

"As everyone else testified to, I did work a lot," Campbell said.

Under questioning from Frost, Campbell said he didn't agree with money he paid for child support going toward other expenses. In a text exchange between Campbell and Thomas about two weeks before the murder, shared by Frost in court, Campbell decried the money going for clothing for Thomas' fiance, Marqtell Robinson.

"It was my desire that my child support payments go to the benefit of my children," Campbell said.

01242018 - News Article - Wife of accused takes witness stand in Portage murder trial, backs up claims about the couple's alarm system

Also See:

11182015 - Tiara Thomas OIDV Murder, Portage Indiana - Gary/Hammond Indiana Police Officer Kevin Campbell Charged With Murder

Wife of accused takes witness stand in Portage murder trial, backs up claims about the couple's alarm system
NWI Times
January 24, 2018
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/porter/wife-of-accused-takes-witness-stand-in-portage-murder-trial/article_8ad1e899-7703-51d8-868f-1717a78e14bd.html

VALPARAISO — The wife of accused murderer Kevin Campbell told jurors Wednesday afternoon that the couple was placing dirty diapers outside the door of their Hobart home just hours before the murder of Tiara Thomas.

Alicia Campbell said one of their children was up sick.

Defense attorney Susan Severtson had said during opening arguments of the trial that the action by the couple explains why their home security system registered the doors opening and closing beginning at 3:30 a.m. on the day Thomas was shot and killed.

When Porter County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Matt Frost asked why she never mentioned the diaper story to an investigator, Alicia Campbell said she did at least once.

"I'm pretty sure he's aware," she said.

The testimony came as the defense kicked off its case in the trial of Kevin Campbell, 33, who is charged with murdering the 30-year-old Thomas on Nov. 18, 2015, at the Portage Park Place apartment she shared with her fiance and the three children she had with Campbell. Prosecutors have said the couple's relationship had deteriorated to the point of a "contentious breakup" and Campbell's child support obligation was increased to $1,400 a month shortly before the killing.

The accused will take the witness stand Thursday, according to his defense team.

Alicia Campbell played down the claims of financial problems.

"They wasn't as bad as everyone is making it seem," she said.

She held her ground after Frost questioned her about the couple being behind in their mortgage payments and having a vehicle repossessed during the period in question.

Alicia Campbell also denied a claim that she went with Kevin Campbell's brother the day after the killing to attempt to retrieve a bag Kevin had left beside or in a garbage can.

She said she turned into a park after getting lost while driving.

Alicia Campbell testified that she and Kevin Campbell were upset that Thomas would not let her three children attend the couple's wedding.

She also confirmed for Frost that she had invoked "marital privilege" when deciding not to talk to prosecutors as part of the investigation and that she learned of the option while doing research on her own.

01242018 - News Article - Wife of former Hammond cop charged with ex-girlfriend's murder downplays his alleged money woes

Also See:

11182015 - Tiara Thomas OIDV Murder, Portage Indiana - Gary/Hammond Indiana Police Officer Kevin Campbell Charged With Murder

Wife of former Hammond cop charged with ex-girlfriend's murder downplays his alleged money woes
Post Tribune
January 24, 2018
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/crime/ct-ptb-campbell-trial-defense-starts-st-0125-20180124-story.html

The wife of a former Hammond police officer accused in the shooting death of his ex-girlfriend, during court testimony Wednesday, disputed prosecutors' claims that he was facing dire financial straits at the time of the killing.

Alicia Campbell testifed before a Porter County jury on behalf of her husband, Kevin Campbell, who's charged with murder stemming from the Nov. 18, 2015 death of Tiara Thomas, the mother of his three children.

At the time of Campbell's arrest, police said the slaying may have been financially motivated. Alicia Campbell, however, downplayed the notion that he was experiencing money woes.

"It wasn't as bad as everyone in the paper is making it seem," Alicia Campbell said.

The defense began presenting its case Wednesday at the Porter County courthouse in Valparaiso in the third week of Kevin Campbell's murder trial. Campbell, 33, has pleaded not guilty in the case.

Police found the 30-year-old Thomas had been shot in the apartment she shared with her fiance in the Park Place apartment complex. When Kevin Campbell was arrested, Portage police said there may have been a financial motive, as he had received voice mails from creditors and his bank account balance was $7.58, according to court records.

Kevin Campbell also paid monthly child support payments to Thomas for the three children they had together. Alicia Campbell, 24, said that didn't concern her because she was employed and her husband worked side jobs in addition to his duties as a police officer.

"It didn't affect my life," Alicia Campbell said.

While Alicia Campbell said their car had been repossessed, she said she wasn't aware of any bill collectors or debts as she was not in charge of paying their bills.

Alicia Campbell previously refused speaking with prosecutors in the case, Matthew Frost, prosecuting attorney, said, citing marital privilege.

Kevin and Alicia Campbell met in 2013 while he was working for Gary police and she worked at a Denny's restaurant in Gary, she said. She became pregnant the next year and they later married, she testified.

The day Thomas died, Alicia Campbell said, her husband called and was so upset that he was unable to drive. She said she she drove him to the Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus in Gary where Thomas was taken.

"He was crying," she said. "He could barely talk."

After that, she testified, investigators spoke with Thomas and went to her family members' homes multiple times, and while she cooperated, it was sometimes an "inconvenience," she said.

"So you don't have anything to do with anything?" Frost asked.

"Um, no, I don't believe I had to do with anything," Alicia Campbell said.

Kent Campbell, Kevin Campbell's father, testified he went with his wife to the hospital in Gary where Thomas was taken after she was shot.

"We loved Tiara as a daughter," he said.

Kent Campbell said he later drove his son to the Portage Police Department for questioning and turned over his son's cell phone — which he had been charging for him — to police.

Kevin Campbell "was a good kid" and "easy to raise," helping his father with different jobs as he grew up, Kent Campbell said.

"He was a great father," Kent Campbell said.

Eric Knowles, who knew Kevin Campbell while the two were in the Porter County Jail, said Kevin Campbell "was very reserved" but said he "worried about his kids."

"The only thing he ever did was maintain his innocence," Knowles said.

Earlier, Nikki Meanovich, who lived next door to Kevin Campbell and Thomas on Wisconsin Street in Hobart, took the stand as the state's final witness. She and Kevin Campbell teared up in the courtroom as she described how their children spent time together.

Meanovich said she was friendly with Kevin Campbell, and he helped her with a pesky possum in the neighborhood. Meanovich had a close bond with Thomas who "was family to me," she said.

"My daughter always used to call her second mom," Meanovich said.

Meanovich told the jury that when Kevin Campbell told Thomas and their children to move out of their Hobart house a few years ago, "He said that she could not come back."

Meanovich said she helped Thomas move her belongings out and remembered Kevin Campbell saying Thomas couldn't take a handgun he had bought Thomas for her birthday.

The trial continues Thursday, and Kevin Campbell is expected to take the stand, his attorney said.

01232018 - News Article - Prosecutors wrapping up evidence in former cop's murder trial

Also See:

11182015 - Tiara Thomas OIDV Murder, Portage Indiana - Gary/Hammond Indiana Police Officer Kevin Campbell Charged With Murder

Prosecutors wrapping up evidence in former cop's murder trial
NWI Times
January 23, 2018
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/porter/prosecutors-wrapping-up-evidence-in-former-cop-s-murder-trial/article_c8bfd6c4-7752-5b09-979a-1892b1ae896e.html

VALPARAISO — When Kevin Campbell heard the news that the mother of three of his children had been fatally shot, he immediately asked about the whereabouts of her current fiance, according to testimony Tuesday morning.

"I could see him and he started asking, 'Where was Marqtell (Robinson),'" said Herbert Smith Jr., uncle to the deceased Tiara Thomas.

When asked by Porter County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Matt Frost whether Campbell looked distraught, Smith replied, "It didn't look like it to me."

The testimony came as prosecutors prepare to wrap up their case against Campbell, 33, who is charged with murdering 30-year-old Thomas on Nov. 18, 2015, at the Portage Park Place apartment she shared with her fiance and the three children she had with Campbell. Prosecutors have said the couple's relationship had deteriorated to the point of a "contentious breakup" and Campbell's child support obligation was increased to $1,400 a month shortly before the killing.

Smith said he observed Campbell's initial reaction to the news as the family was gathered at Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus in Gary where Thomas was taken following the shooting.

Smith also told jurors he overheard Thomas arguing with Campbell on the telephone just days before her death. Thomas worked for Smith at ICU Monitoring in Merrillville.

"When she came out of the room, she was complaining about him," he said.

Smith said he had never seen any violence between Campbell and Thomas, but they had issues involving child support.

"That appeared to be an ongoing issue," he said.

Jurors were dismissed early Tuesday as a result of the prosecutor's final witness being delayed by a personal issue. The trial is expected to resume Wednesday morning with that witness, followed by the defense starting its case.

Police believe Campbell shot Thomas sometime between 4:37 and 5:55 a.m., then took their three children to school. While Campbell told police he took his son straight to school, his son reportedly told investigators his father stopped at Columbus Park in Lake Station and discarded a bag.

Court documents indicate Campbell kept the three children overnight at his home in Hobart the night before Thomas was killed, and that Campbell allegedly requested his oldest child bring him a key to the apartment nearly two weeks before the homicide.

01222018 - News Article - Mark Back withdraws from District 19 state rep race

Mark Back withdraws from District 19 state rep race
Post-Tribune
January 22, 2018
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/news/ct-ptb-mark-back-state-rep-st-0123-20180122-story.html

Democratic state representative candidate Mark Back said Saturday he was withdrawing from the race.

Back, of Crown Point, announced Saturday he intended to pull his name from the Democratic primary for the District 19 state representative seat, which is currently held by Republican Rep. Julie Olthoff. Back said he decided to pull his name from the race to focus on his family.

"I entered this race to serve our community but at this time the people who need my service most are my own family," Back said in a statement.

Back was a public information officer and health care administrator for the Lake County Sheriff's Department under convicted former Sheriff John Buncich.

Back was one of two Democratic candidates running in the May primary. The other candidate is Lisa Beck, of Crown Point.

"I want to thank those who have supported me for your confidence, your energy, and your commitment to making Northwest Indiana a better place," Back said in a statement.

01202018 - News Article - Ex-spokesman for Buncich withdraws name from consideration in 19th District state House race

Ex-spokesman for Buncich withdraws name from consideration in 19th District state House race
NWI Times
January 20, 2018
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/ex-spokesman-for-buncich-withdraws-name-from-consideration-in-th/article_6760608e-6558-56a8-82c9-a6c2866af53a.html

CROWN POINT — Mark Back, ex-spokesman for convicted former Lake County Sheriff John Buncich, announced Saturday he is withdrawing his name from consideration as a Democratic candidate for the 19th District state House seat.

Back made this decision to focus on his family, he said in the release. 

“I entered this race to serve our community but at this time the people who need my service most are my own family,” Back said in a statement. 

Back filed for candidacy on Jan. 10 before withdrawing his name on Saturday. 

Back resigned his spokesman position with the Lake County Sheriff's Department two months after Buncich was convicted on federal bribery charges in a towing scandal.

Back's mother, Deborah Back, who is Buncich's significant other, prompted an inquiry with the Sheriff's Department following testimony she gave at Buncich's sentencing hearing last week.

During her testimony, she said she used the department's records system to look into the background of federal task force members investigating her partner.

Mark Back's released statement did not reference the recent developments in Buncich's case as it relates to his mother. 

Last week, Mark Back told The Times he "was fortunate to have several options regarding where I wanted to take my career."

"I chose to seek employment with the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, because I wanted to return to my hometown and utilize my education and experience in health care programs to serve our community. The Sheriff’s Department provided me an opportunity to do just that. I am very proud of the work that I did with county government," he said. 

01192018 - News Article - Snyder continues legal fight against Portage utility board takeover

Snyder continues legal fight against Portage utility board takeover
Chicago Tribune
January 19, 2018
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/news/ct-ptb-portage-snyder-challenge-st-0121-20180119-story.html

Portage Mayor James Snyder said he hired a law firm to challenge a 2017 ordinance authorizing the City Council to take over the Utility Services Board last February, claiming that the city ordinance allowing the council to take over the USB actually was a threat to mayors across the state.

But newly elected USB President Scott Williams, who also is a councilman (D-3rd), said there is room for the mayor and board to work together and improve communication.

Last February, the City Council passed resolutions removing Snyder as the director of the utility department, including his $30,000 annual salary, and taking over the USB. The former USB was made of a majority of mayoral appointees.

Snyder hired Indianapolis-based law firm Faegre Baker Daniels, which drafted a double-sided, two-page letter to the council indicating their move to strip Snyder of his salary was illegal. Shortly after receiving the Faegre letter — which will cost residents $19,651 — the council relented, moving the $30,000 salary to the city's budget and off the USB's books.

Using money from his 2018 mayoral budget, Snyder hired Bingham Greenbaum Doll, a law firm with offices in Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, to look into the council's 2017 takeover of the USB. Early last month, the firm sent Snyder a memorandum claiming the 2009 city ordinance establishing the original USB was improper, as was the council's takeover of the USB last year.

"I think (the ordinance) was passed to deal with the mayor of Portage, but, instead, what the council did was take on every mayor in the State of Indiana," Snyder said. "If the mayor can be threatened to lose his executive power at the utility, then every mayor in the state has a problem."

Snyder said Portage's legislative body, the city council, forced itself into a role the executive branch is supposed to hold when it took over the utility board.

Part of the council's motivation was the mayor's 2016 federal indictment on bribery charges, Snyder said. Federal prosecutors allege that Snyder solicited money from tow truck operator John Cortina and a confidential source, giving them a towing contract for the city.

Snyder and Cortina have pleaded not guilty. Their trials are scheduled for June.

The USB may have been improperly formed in 2009, Snyder said, but the former USB's makeup of a majority of mayoral appointees meant the former board was closer to what state law intended and more likely to keep Portage out of legal trouble.

Snyder said his office will pay Bingham for its work, but abiding by the law firm's decision will have a bigger payoff.

"I hope we can come to resolution," Snyder said. "I don't know what (hiring Bingham) will cost, but it's not going to cost us millions of dollars in class action lawsuits because we're going to get it fixed quickly to be within state law."

Williams said the USB will get a legal opinion on the Bingham memorandum from Board Attorney Ken Elwood, who also represents the council, at its next executive session in early February, but, he said, Snyder apparently did not have any problems with the creation or makeup of the USB until he lost control of the board.

"It was perfectly okay for the mayor then," Williams said. "I think the jury's still out in terms of what we have done, the council taking over the USB, is legal or illegal."

One way to get Snyder and the USB working together and communicating is to make decisions on improvements to a section of Dombey Road, on the city's north side. The Dombey Road improvement is a two-phase project involving new infrastructure and reconstruction of sections of several streets on either side of U.S. 20.

The USB already has a $1.4 million Community Crossing grant from the Indiana Department of Transportation to pave streets west of Dombey, including Locust, Plaza and Marquette, but the USB and mayor have to decide who will pay what portion of a $450,000 bid awarded to construction firm Walsh and Kelly to do more infrastructure work, Williams said.

That means the two parties will have to talk, he added. Getting the sole Republican on the council and USB, John Cannon (D-4th), to help mend the rift between Sndyer and the USB may help, Williams said.

The rest of the city council and, therefore, the USB are Democrats.

"Another good example of a bipartisan effort is working with (John) Cannon on meeting with the mayor to reach a decision on how we made this (Dombey Rd.) project happen and share the cost," Williams said.

The USB and Snyder are scheduled to meet Thursday afternoon to discuss the Dombey project.

01182018 - News Article - Detective: Accused murderer asked son for key to apartment where killing took place

Also See:

11182015 - Tiara Thomas OIDV Murder, Portage Indiana - Gary/Hammond Indiana Police Officer Kevin Campbell Charged With Murder

Detective: Accused murderer asked son for key to apartment where killing took place
NWI Times
January 18, 2018
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/porter/detective-accused-murderer-asked-son-for-key-to-apartment-where/article_c9cb059f-be06-558c-9db3-a698abb06a04.html

VALPARAISO — Accused murderer Kevin Campbell told police his son did not bring his mother's apartment key over when he came to visit, according to the lead investigator in the case.

"Not that I know of," Portage police Detective Dennis Meyers quoted Campbell as saying. "I've never seen the key before."

But Meyers said police found text messages between Campbell and his son just weeks before the shooting death of the boy's mother that read: "And don't forget your key" and "Make sure you bring your house key."

Campbell, a former Gary and Hammond police officer, is on trial on an accusation of murdering Tiara Thomas Nov. 18, 2015, at the Portage Park Place apartment she shared with her fiance and the three children she had with Campbell. Prosecutors have said the couple's relationship had deteriorated to the point of a "contentious breakup" and Campbell's child support obligation was increased to $1,400 a month shortly before the killing.

Campbell had kept the three children overnight at his home in Hobart the night before Thomas was killed.

Campbell's son testified last week that his father asked him as he picked up the children the day before the killing to bring along a key to Thomas' apartment. 

The boy also testified that on the day his mother was killed, his father discarded a grocery bag at a park while taking him from Hobart to school in Portage.

Yet Meyers testified Thursday that Campbell told him during an interview the day of the killing that he made no stops while taking his son to school and then denied it twice when specifically asked about the park.

"It was starting to become a little more argumentative," Meyers said when asked about Campbell's demeanor during that part of the questioning.

Brian Campbell, the younger brother of Kevin Campbell, told jurors Wednesday afternoon that he went with Kevin's wife to a park in Lake Station to see if they could retrieve a gym bag and shoes he reportedly left alongside or in a garbage can.

Neither he nor police ever found the bag in question.

Meyers also backed claims that it was highly unusual that Campbell took his children during a school week for an overnight visit. Meyers testified that Campbell had taken the children just five times during the prior three months and that all but the last visit were on weekends or days off school. He came to the conclusion based on surviving text conversations between Campbell and Thomas.

Meyers also testified that Campbell was unwilling to turn his cellphone over to investigators, who later received it from Campbell's father.

Kevin Campbell's brother, Michael Campbell, told jurors that Kevin was upset because he believed his child support money was benefiting Thomas' fiance.

The trial is underway before Porter Superior Court Judge Roger Bradford.

01182018 - News Article - Portage mayor owes $10K to co-defendant in federal bribery case, report shows

Portage mayor owes $10K to co-defendant in federal bribery case, report shows
Chicago Tribune
January 18, 2018
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/news/ct-ptb-snyder-campaign-reports-st-0119-20180118-story.html

Portage Mayor James Snyder owes a tow truck operator, who is a co-defendant in the mayor's federal bribery case, $10,000, according to a recently filed campaign finance report.

Snyder's 2017 campaign finance report showed he owes John Cortina, owner of Kustom Auto Body in Portage, $10,000 that the tow operator loaned the mayor's election committee in 2016. The Portage mayor's campaign has $19,327.69 in debt — $10,000 to Cortina and $9,327.69 to himself, the report said.

"One of the debts we still have to pay is to Mr. Cortina and it has always been considered by the campaign to be a loan, not a bribe," said Kenard Taylor, Synder's campaign treasurer, adding Cortina donated to Snyder's campaign for several years.

The campaign's debts to Snyder and Cortina also were reflected in the 2016 report.

Snyder did not return a call seeking comment.

Snyder and Cortina were both indicted in November 2016 on bribery charges. Authorities said Snyder allegedly solicited money from Cortina and a confidential source and gave them a towing contract for the city.

The two have pleaded not guilty. Their trials are scheduled for June.

Taylor said health issues prevented him from filing a more detailed report by the deadline, which was Wednesday.

"Because of the special circumstances he's in, we want to make sure they're 100 percent accurate," Taylor said.

The report showed more than $91,000 in income and expenditures for last year, two years before the next city election cycle.

The report showed Snyder had $1,160.11 on hand at the start of last year; that he received $91,391 in donations; spent $91,385.29; and had $1,165.82 at the end of the year.

The form does not detail who the money was received from or what the expenditures were, though Taylor said a detailed report will be filed by Jan. 24.

The 2017 form, Taylor said, reflects a drop in income and expenditures from 2016 of about $40,000, and the amounts are not unusual for off years for campaigns.

"You receive and spend a lot of money on fundraising. Another thing is you have staff, people you keep on board, and you make a lot of donations," Taylor said, adding the funds also can be used for things that can't typically come out of a city budget, like taking staff to lunch. "They are allowed to spend campaign funds on that."

Taylor, who also files Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson's campaign finance reports in Lake County, said she has used the funds to attend conferences and association meetings. Elected officials of both parties use the practice, he added; Snyder is a Republican and Freeman-Wilson is a Democrat.

"It keeps their name out in the public eye," he said.

For comparison, Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas' report for 2017 reflects $221.50 in funds on hand at the start of last year; $6,000 in income and expenditures; and $7,000 in debt, which the campaign owes to Costas, the report says. The expenditures were donations to the county and state Republican parties.

Snyder's 2016 report reflected $22,000 in legal fees paid to Thomas Kirsch II throughout that year. Kirsch, who was appointed as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana in October, previously served as Snyder's lawyer and represented Snyder in his criminal case until he was selected for his new post.

The 2017 report will have legal fees as well and may include payments to Kirsch from earlier in the year, Taylor said.

Taylor filed an incomplete form, he said, to avoid potential fines from the county election board, which are $50 a day for a missed deadline and $10 a day for inaccurate or incomplete forms.

"You're better off getting something in," Taylor said.

The election board typically does not issue fines for missing the deadline, said election board president David Bengs.

"We've issued warnings to get them to file their campaign reports on time" but no fines, he said.

2017 campaign reports for Lake County mayors
The amount of money raised and spent by Lake County mayors varied in 2017.
* Crown Point Mayor David Uran raised $109,181.27 in 2017 and spent $90,259.63. Uran still has $142,018.28 on hand, according to his campaign finance report, and $254.34 in debt owed to the committee.
* East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland raised $64,000 in 2017 and spent $82,626.78. Copeland still has $172,529.40 on hand, according to his finance report, and zero debt.
* Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson raised $130,516.49 in 2017 and spent $131,659.20. Freeman-Wilson has $12.18 on hand, according to her campaign finance report, and $1,500 in debt owed by the committee.
* Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. raised $278,722.50 in 2017 and spent $218,620.34. McDermott has $202,226.16 on hand, according to his campaign finance report, and $35,000 in debt owed to the committee.
* Hobart Mayor Brian Snedecor raised $60,027 in 2017 and spent $41,235. Snedecor still has $113,670.80 on hand, according to his campaign finance report, and zero debt.
* Whiting Mayor Joe Stahura raised $84,925 in 2017 and spent $63,903.63. Stahura has $37,676.71 on hand, according to his campaign finance report, and has $53,292.15 in debt owed to the committee.

01182017--Snyder's-2016-Financial-Report-For-Citizens-For-Snyder

01182017--Snyder's-2016-Financial-Report-For-Citizens-For-Snyder

01182018 - News Article - Portage mayor's finance report incomplete, shows $10K loan from co-defendant

Portage mayor's finance report incomplete, shows $10K loan from co-defendant
NWI Times
January 18, 2018
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/porter/portage-mayor-s-finance-report-incomplete-shows-k-loan-from/article_700e5f42-0a26-5f1d-a4d0-ef97a21811db.html

PORTAGE — Mayor James Snyder's 2017 campaign finance report isn't yet telling from whom he raised an excess of $91,000 last year or where he spent it. His treasurer blames himself.

The report, filed Wednesday with the Porter County Election Office, is incomplete. The lone details indicate he raised and spent approximately $91,000 last year and that he ended the year more than $19,000 in debt, including a $10,000 debt to John Cortina, his co-defendant in a federal public corruption case.

Ken Taylor, Snyder's treasurer, said the bare bones report was filed Wednesday because he has been having some health issues and has been working to re-create records necessary to itemize both expenditures and contributions in the report. Taylor said, under state law, it is better to file an incomplete report and then file an amended report. He said he intends to file the full report by next Wednesday.

According to the information filed, Snyder owes Cortina $10,000. Taylor said that was a carryover loan from the previous year. Snyder's 2016 report does indicate he borrowed $10,000 from Cortina on Jan. 28, 2016, just a day before he made a $10,000 payment to his then-defense attorney, now U.S. attorney, Thomas Kirsch II. In addition, Cortina made a $2,000 direct donation to Snyder on Jan. 28, 2016.

Snyder is accused of accepting a $12,000 bribe from Cortina on the condition Cortina's company be put on the city's towing list. The two were indicted in November 2016. Their trial is scheduled to begin in Hammond federal court June 4.

Taylor said the contributions total of $91,391 and the expenditure total of $91,385 should not be more than a few hundred dollars off the completed report based on bank balances and that his ending balance of $1,165 reflects the committee's bank account balance. In 2016 Snyder raised in excess of $136,000.

Snyder also did not sign the report. Taylor said he will sign the amended report.

01182017--Snyder's-2016-Financial-Report-For-Citizens-For-Snyder

01182017--Snyder's-2016-Financial-Report-For-Citizens-For-Snyder

01172018 - News Article - UPDATE: Brother of accused murderer said he was asked to retrieve ditched gym bag

Also See:

11182015 - Tiara Thomas OIDV Murder, Portage Indiana - Gary/Hammond Indiana Police Officer Kevin Campbell Charged With Murder

UPDATE: Brother of accused murderer said he was asked to retrieve ditched gym bag
NWI Times
January 17, 2018
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/update-brother-of-accused-murderer-said-he-was-asked-to/article_86ad5be5-e671-550c-be31-8c2a922e05f3.html

VALPARAISO — The younger brother of accused murderer Kevin Campbell told jurors Wednesday afternoon that he went with Kevin's wife to a park in Lake Station to see if they could retrieve a gym bag and shoes he reportedly left alongside or in a garbage can.

The trip, which was made following the Nov. 18, 2015, shooting death of Tiara Thomas at her Portage apartment, was derailed the first time because a police car was at the park, Gary resident Brian Campbell said.

Brian Campbell said he was confused why they did not stop, but later returned on his own.

When Porter County Deputy Prosecutor Cheryl Polarek asked what he found, Campbell responded "nothing."

"Like I said, it was almost empty," he said of the garbage can.

Kevin Campbell's 13-year-old son testified last week that the day his mother was killed, Campbell discarded a grocery bag at a park while taking him to school.

The boy said he did not know what was inside the bag.

Kevin Campbell, a former Gary and Hammond police officer, is accused of murdering Tiara Thomas at the Park Place apartment she shared with her fiance and the three children she had with Kevin Campbell. Prosecutors have said the couple's relationship had deteriorated to the point of a "contentious breakup" and Kevin Campbell's child support obligation was increased to $1,400 a month shortly before the killing.

Also testifying Wednesday afternoon were two former podmates of Kevin Campbell from Porter County Jail, who said he made comments that led them to believe he may be guilty.

James Childress, now of Knox, said Kevin Campbell made a comment about police taking possession of a sweatshirt from his home.

"I wasn't wearing it when I did it," Kevin Campbell is accused of saying.

Chicago resident Aaron Green said the first thing Kevin Campbell said to him at the jail was, "How much time can I get for murder?"

Defense attorney Susan Severtson challenged the credibility of both former inmates based on their criminal records and questioned their intentions for testifying.

Childress said he received a reduced charge after agreeing to cooperate in the case.

Earlier in the day, Portage Detective Scott Harmeling testified that none of the evidence collected from the shooting scene directly links Campbell to the murder he is accused of carrying out there.

No fingerprints, DNA, blood or other bodily fluids were found from Campbell, he said. 

Severtson picked at the credibility of the investigation at the crime scene, questioning Harmeling on why he did not fingerprint and photograph various areas of the apartment.

She also attacked the value of a short video Harmeling shot in June that shows where a suspicious vehicle was seen on the morning of the shooting and how a nearby trail leads to Thomas' apartment.

Harmeling said the person who reported seeing the vehicle did not see a driver and there is no evidence Campbell walked the path in question on the morning of the shooting.

He told Polarek it is impossible to fingerprint every surface of a crime scene and that he shot the video in question as a way of giving jurors a perspective of the scene.

The trial is underway before Porter Superior Court Judge Roger Bradford.