Jury requests life sentence for Robert Campbell for murder charges
July 20, 2016
Charlea Estes
The man accused of masterminding the execution-style murder of a Willard couple in April 2011 was found guilty by a Jasper County jury last week. The jury members requested a life prison sentence for the man, Robert Campbell, 72.
Campbell was charged with two counts of first-degree murder after law enforcement officers found the bodies of Russell “Rusty” Porter and his wife, Rebecca “Becky” Porter, on some property in Taney County were Campbell used to frequent as a child.
The case has unfolded over the past five years, and Campbell is the last of four people associated with the crime to be sentenced. Campbell’s wife was also charged with perjury, but committed suicide in their Purdy home before she went to trial.
Investigators on the case charged Campbell after they said he hired four people to help him kill the Porters because of a family dispute over inherited property. Rusty was Campbell’s nephew. The couple disappeared in April 2011, but their bodies weren’t found until months later in Taney County.
Tony Friend, his wife, Windy Friend, his son, Phillip Friend, and another man, Dusty Hicks, were all charged with the murders, as well. Those four are currently serving prison sentences for their involvement after pleading guilty or being convicted via a jury trial.
Court records state that the Friends and Hicks abducted the Porters from their home after they broke in. The couple was tied up, taken to Taney County, shot execution-style in the back of their heads and then buried. Search efforts after they went missing spanned multiple counties, but their bodies were eventually found in Taney County.
After the murders, Campbell and his wife moved to Purdy after being released on bonds where they were eventually the targets of a sting operation regarding stolen vehicles in 2013. Those charges no longer appear in the Missouri Court System. It was following those charges that Campbell’s wife committed suicide in the home.
After the Barry County arrest, Campbell’s bond was revoked, and he has since been in the Taney County Jail. The murder case was moved to Jasper County on a change of venue.
While the jury requested a life prison sentence for Campbell, a sentencing hearing is scheduled for September 12 with Circuit Judge Gayle.
Charlea Estes
The man accused of masterminding the execution-style murder of a Willard couple in April 2011 was found guilty by a Jasper County jury last week. The jury members requested a life prison sentence for the man, Robert Campbell, 72.
Campbell was charged with two counts of first-degree murder after law enforcement officers found the bodies of Russell “Rusty” Porter and his wife, Rebecca “Becky” Porter, on some property in Taney County were Campbell used to frequent as a child.
The case has unfolded over the past five years, and Campbell is the last of four people associated with the crime to be sentenced. Campbell’s wife was also charged with perjury, but committed suicide in their Purdy home before she went to trial.
Investigators on the case charged Campbell after they said he hired four people to help him kill the Porters because of a family dispute over inherited property. Rusty was Campbell’s nephew. The couple disappeared in April 2011, but their bodies weren’t found until months later in Taney County.
Tony Friend, his wife, Windy Friend, his son, Phillip Friend, and another man, Dusty Hicks, were all charged with the murders, as well. Those four are currently serving prison sentences for their involvement after pleading guilty or being convicted via a jury trial.
Court records state that the Friends and Hicks abducted the Porters from their home after they broke in. The couple was tied up, taken to Taney County, shot execution-style in the back of their heads and then buried. Search efforts after they went missing spanned multiple counties, but their bodies were eventually found in Taney County.
After the murders, Campbell and his wife moved to Purdy after being released on bonds where they were eventually the targets of a sting operation regarding stolen vehicles in 2013. Those charges no longer appear in the Missouri Court System. It was following those charges that Campbell’s wife committed suicide in the home.
After the Barry County arrest, Campbell’s bond was revoked, and he has since been in the Taney County Jail. The murder case was moved to Jasper County on a change of venue.
While the jury requested a life prison sentence for Campbell, a sentencing hearing is scheduled for September 12 with Circuit Judge Gayle.
