For four decades, Stephen Craig Campbell lived a lie. He used the identity of a dead classmate to escape justice. His freedom ended in 2019. A simple passport renewal exposed his elaborate con. This mistake revealed the truth. Campbell was 76 years old when he was finally caught.
A deadly crime unfolds
Campbell began his crime spree in 1982. He planted a bomb at his estranged wife’s boyfriend’s home in Wyoming. When his wife opened it, the device exploded. The blast set two houses on fire. The wife lost a finger, and the boyfriend suffered severe injuries. Authorities arrested and charged Campbell. But in 1983, they released him on bond. He was set to stand trial but never showed up. They issued a warrant for his arrest. He became one of the U.S. Marshals’ Most Wanted.
The ultimate escape
But Campbell didn’t vanish. Instead, he stole the identity of a classmate who had died years earlier. Walter Lee Coffman, a fellow student from the University of Arkansas, had died in a car crash in 1975. In 1984, Campbell applied for a passport using Coffman’s name but his own photo. He managed to get a new Social Security card under Coffman’s name. Over the years, he kept renewing his passport and even moved to Weed, New Mexico, in 2003. There, he bought 44 acres of land and continued his life as Walter Coffman. His clever scheme seemed to be working perfectly.
The mistake that exposed him
Everything fell apart in 2019. Campbell tried to renew his passport for the third time. This time, investigators noticed something strange. Coffman had been dead for over 40 years. They linked the application to the dead man. That mistake was the key that unraveled Campbell’s long-running fraud. It revealed he had been using Coffman’s name for decades. During that time, he also stole about $140,000 in Social Security benefits.
Arrest and armed standoff
Authorities moved quickly. FBI agents arrived at Campbell’s Weed property. He greeted them with a high-powered rifle. Campbell retreated into a wooden hideout. He refused to surrender. Officers used flashbang devices to force him out. The non-lethal devices created loud sounds and bright lights. Eventually, Campbell gave up without a shot being fired. His property was searched. Agents discovered 57 firearms and large amounts of ammunition. This was illegal since Campbell, as a fugitive, could not possess weapons.
A long-running mystery solved
Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson, Jason Mower, expressed his relief. He had worked on fugitive cases for years. But Campbell’s case had always remained unsolved. His wanted poster had been on the wall for nearly 20 years. No leads ever panned out. “Every lead went cold,” Mower said. “Now, I finally understand why.”
Facing serious charges
Campbell is now facing serious charges. He is accused of identity theft and fraud. Authorities are also considering additional charges. The firearms found on his property could lead to more legal problems. If convicted, Campbell could face up to 10 years in prison. Then, he would be extradited to Wyoming to stand trial for the 1982 bombing.
The Coffman family was devastated by the revelation. Sharon Ennis, Walter Coffman’s aunt, spoke out. She was shocked that Campbell had posed as her nephew. It was especially painful for her elderly father, Coffman’s uncle. He never knew what had happened. “It would’ve been horrible for him to know,” Ennis said. “Walter was such a fine individual. He didn’t deserve this.”
