OXFORD, N.C. — The brother of accused double murderer Eric Campbell told a North Carolina jury Tuesday his brother was abused by their father.
“He was rough with Eric,” Nicholas Campbell, Eric’s older brother testified. “He had to do exactly what he said. When my dad attacked us, we would have to pray to his mercy and let him finish.”
Eric Campbell is on trial for New Year’s Eve 2014 murders of Granville County, NC residents Jerome and Dora Faulkner. Prosecutors allege the killings were part of a multi-state crime spree and Eric was his father’s partner in the crimes but the defense’s case has focused on a demanding and abusive father whom Eric Campbell feared. The men were arrested in West Virginia on New Year’s Day 2015 just hours after the Faulkner deaths. The Campbells were involved in a shootout with Greenbrier County police.
Campbell faces the death penalty if he’s convicted on the murder charges.
Nicholas Campbell testified he lied to social service workers on visits because he was afraid of what his father would do to him or his siblings. He said Eric took care of his younger siblings like it was a full-time job and he has never seen Eric commit a violent act in his life.
During cross-examination, prosecutors highlighted the fact that the brothers had visited their father six times while he was in jail for beating their sister in Texas.
Edward Campbell committed suicide two years ago a few months after his arrest.
Tuesday’s testimony began with with Dr. Ayesha Chaudhary. Chaudhary tried to discuss the interviews she did with Edward Campbell, but after an objection by prosecutors any statements made by the elder Campbell were not allowed to be entered into evidence. The judge said they were considered unreliable because the deceased Campbell could not testify on his own behalf.
Chaudhary said Eric Campbell told her during one of their interviews he had questioned his dad about why he was changing the license plate of a car Eric said he did not know was stolen. He was driving it when he was pulled over in West Virginia.
“What Eric Campbell shared with me was that when he asked Ed Campbell why he was changing the license plates, Eric looked at his dad and his dad held a screw driver up to his head and growled at him,” Chaudhary said on the stand Tuesday. “He stopped questioning his father.”
Chaudhary finished her testimony saying she was confident in her diagnosis that Eric Campbell suffered from PTSD due to the abuse he received from his father throughout his life.
The next witness called by the defense was also a psychologist.
Cindy May is the prison psychologist at the prison Eric was being held at before the trial. She said it took her about six to nine months to get him to open up, but once he did he talked a lot about the abuse he suffered as a child.
“He was taught to be quiet, he was taught not to talk, he was taught not to feel,” May said.
“If he had talked to me about childhood memories, in his mind that was him disobeying his father so he was resistant to that,” May said. “His father had total control over him his whole life, so just because his father was gone doesn’t mean the training was still there.”
May said she recognized that Eric, in her opinion, was suffering from PTSD because of an incident she witnessed at the prison.
“A patient just started hitting and punching and pushing,” May said. “Every other patient either stood up and moved away or went towards the man. Eric got in a fetal position under the table, I’m sure that brought back memories of him being abused. In other words with PTSD that reminded him of being abused as a child so his reaction was to protect himself.”
Troy Alexander contributed to this story.