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Prosecution in Campbell trial calls up psychologist

OXFORD, N.C. — The double murder trial of Eric Campbell entered its 14th day in a Granville County, North Carolina courtroom.

Eric Campbell is on trial for the Dec. 31, 2014, killing and robbing of Jerome and Dora Faulkner. He and his father, Edward, were arrested the next day in Greenbrier County. Edward Campbell killed himself two months after his arrest.

After multiple forensic psychologists testified Tuesday that Eric Campbell was suffering from PTSD, the prosecuting attorneys called up a forensic psychologist of their own.

Dr. Nicole Wolfe of Central Regional Hospital in Butner, North Carolina, testified Wednesday about what she thought about Eric Campbell’s mental state and the defense’s narrative that he is suffering from PTSD.

“Even giving him the benefit of the doubt and saying he has been exposed to all this trauma, you have to have some behavioral evidence of symptoms that are not apparent for years and years and years,” Wolfe said. “Even when he went to the doctor there is no report of any type of mood disturbance or anxiety, these are questions that were asked.”

Wolfe said Eric Campbell behaved in ways throughout his and his father Edward Campbell’s crime spree that are not consistent with someone suffering from PTSD.

She said Eric Campbell went and bought chemicals at a store after the murders, and also helped his father conceal Jerome and Dora Faulkner’s bodies in the back of a pickup truck directly after the murders. Wolfe added this is goal driven behavior that shows Eric Campbell knew there were consequences for what he and his father had done.

The video recording of the Jan. 1, 2015, shootout between Edward Campbell and West Virginia State Police near Lewisburg was played for the court. Wolfe noted it showed Campbell acting in a manner not consistent with someone suffering from PTSD.

“It is again, the type of behavior he has been displaying throughout,” Wolfe said. “The officer confronts him about the stolen tag and he’s like ‘what do you mean,’ that is the typical response that I’ve been getting. He had an awareness that the tag was stolen, but again it’s that pattern of evasiveness, that’s not PTSD speaking, that’s a choice to be evasive in your conversation.”

Wolfe also said while examining a picture, Eric Campbell concealed evidence from the Faulkner’s home after the shootout with police, which his father did not command.

“This is the hollowed out tree that the Faulkner’s gold, jewels, and other belongings were in,” Wolfe said on the stand. “What I thought was interesting was that he managed to find a tree branch to actually fit over it to make it look like a natural tree and cover the gold. The initial pictures of the scene looked untouched, there was a leaf pattern to conceal where these items had been hidden, hidden very effectively.”

Wolfe said concealing evidence shows that he had awareness of what happened and that he was concerned about avoiding apprehension.

“This was not Ed Campbell; this was only Eric Campbell acting,” she said.

“Having murder charges is enough to give anyone anxiety, there is a huge difference between what they are saying is lifetime trauma and the short term trauma from what occurred on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.”

If convicted, Eric Campbell could face the death penalty.





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