Erie County Legislator Frank Todaro and his Republican colleagues are calling for the removal of a double murderer from the region after the man was released earlier this month on parole in Erie County.
Chad Campbell was 14 when he killed a 15-year-old girl and the 17-month-old child she was babysitting in Wayne County, near Rochester, in 1990. He has served 35 years on a sentence for 18 years to life.
State parole board records also indicate Campbell raped the teenager before fatally stabbing her 44 times.
Todaro is questioning Campbell being placed in Erie County despite a lack of ties to the area. He also believes Campbell shouldn’t be released from custody in the first place.
“We shouldn't even have this as an option that he's going to live anywhere in New York State," he said. "I'll give it this way. He should be in a cell. He should be in a confined space where he's amongst other prisoners and controlled and watched on a daily basis.”
Campbell had been denied parole several times, but was released following a recent change to state parole board policies, which requires consideration for age and brain development for those who commit violent crimes as minors. Wayne County officials requested he not be released in their community, which was why he was moved to Erie County.
The first priority in Campbell's situation should be ensuring the victim's family and friends still feel safe, University at Buffalo criminology professor Chris Dennison said. But he also notes that Campbell has spent the majority of his life in prison, and offenders generally are less likely to commit violent crimes as they get older and start reaching their 50s.
"What would make the survivors feel safest? I mean, truly feel safest," Dennison said. "Would it be creating restrictions, ways to protect against a potential threat in the future? Or would it be to figure out and think about the explanations of these situations as broadly as we can, to make it so that Campbell remains equipped to not go down this path again?"
Todaro expects Erie County legislators to unanimously agree to move Campbell from the county.
"I don't speak for them, but I would hope they understand the magnitude of this situation," he said. "They have constituents that are concerned as well. It should be, I would think, a unanimous vote to send this message to New York State."
