OXFORD, N.C. — The jury in the Eric Campbell double murder trial could resume deliberations by later this month.
A North Carolina judge told a juror involved in a car accident this weekend to return to court Aug. 28 and they’ll see how to proceed from then.
The juror, known as Juror 3, appeared in court Wednesday and expressed she cannot evaluate the case until she recovers from surgery.
On Friday, a day after jury deliberations began, the same juror asked to be removed from the panel saying she could not properly evaluate the evidence. Granville County Judge Henry Hight sent the jury home for the weekend instead of ruling on the request. The judge said he believed the juror wanted to be excused for emotional reasons.
Campbell, 24, of Alvin, Texas, is on trial for allegedly killing an elderly couple inside their North Carolina home. Jerome Faulkner, 73, and his wife, Dora Faulkner, 62, were murdered Dec. 31, 2014.
Campbell and his father Edward Campbell were arrested in Greenbrier County, W.Va. the next day. Police found the bodies of the Faulkners in the back of the truck Edward Campbell was driving. He later took his own life in jail.
During the trial, the defense claimed Eric Campbell was abused by his father for years and that he suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. His attorneys said Edward Campbell is the man to blame for the killings after taking his son on a multi-state crime spree from Texas to West Virginia. The prosecution, however, said Eric Campbell made a deliberate and conscious decision to go on the trip.
If convicted of first-degree murder, Campbell could face the death penalty.