Hunting Campbell, or How the US spent 42 years catching a dangerous criminal who didn't hide

At the end of February 2025, information about the capture of Stephen Craig Campbell appeared on the pages of American newspapers. Most Americans don't know this name, because this man committed his crimes more than 40 years ago. Despite this, he was considered one of the most wanted criminals in the United States. Campbell did not kill or rape anyone, he did not sell weapons or drugs, and was not even noticed in laundering mafia money. What did this guy do that the police of all states were looking for him?

Steven Craig Campbell has always been a law-abiding man, although some considered him a bit eccentric. Until 1982, his existence seemed predictable and even monotonous. He was born in 1948 in Stockton, California, to an ordinary family. After graduating from high school, he received a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Arkansas. He later moved to Rock Springs, Wyoming, where he began working for an electronics repair company.

Campbell got married, but the marriage did not last long. In 1982, his wife left him for another man, without even bothering to file for divorce. The abandoned husband decided to take revenge on the traitor. He decided that she deserved to die and built a booby trap for her. He placed this "surprise" in a toolbox in the yard of his wife's new boyfriend. The bomb was supposed to go off when the box was opened.

Stephen was a good electronics specialist, but a lousy demolition man. His bomb worked perfectly as soon as the woman opened the box. But there wasn't enough explosives to kill her. The wife got away with a severed finger, a few bruises, and a concussion. True, the explosion caused serious property damage - the house and a building in the yard caught fire.

The police arrested Stephen Campbell almost immediately. Only he had an obvious motive for attempting to kill his wife. After his arrest, traces of an explosive device were found in his garage. A few months later, in 1983, the man was released on bail. He was supposed to appear in person at the next court hearing, but decided to go on the run. Immediately after that, Campbell was put on the wanted list.

The citation described Steven as an extremely dangerous criminal, which is standard procedure given that his case involved explosives. It also noted that he owned a firearm and had wilderness survival skills. This was true: Steven enjoyed hiking, hunting, and fishing.

The police assumed that the fugitive might be hiding in the eastern or southeastern United States. They searched for him everywhere, but all attempts to find him were futile. Sometimes there were clues, but they always led nowhere. Years passed, and wanted posters for Campbell were still posted in police stations across the country, from Alaska to Texas. Some even believed that Steven had long since died, but rules are rules, and the search continued.

As it turned out later, Campbell did not die, did not leave the country, and did not even try to hide. Already in 1984, he filed documents in the name of Walter Lee Coffman. This guy was his classmate and friend, but died tragically in a car accident back in 1975 at the age of 22. In the 80s in the USA, it was quite easy to pretend to be someone else. Campbell simply gave his name as Coffman, reported his date of birth and some information from his biography. This was enough to get a passport and a driver's license.

The locations where Steven Campbell lived before 2003 have not been determined. Over two decades, he made only one contact: in 1995, when he renewed his Social Security card using a driver's license issued in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Of course, he presented documents in the name of the late Walter Lee Coffman.

In 2003, Steven settled in Weed, New Mexico. This abandoned place seems almost completely cut off from civilization. The village consists of a few dilapidated buildings, a post office, and an old church that is in dire need of repair. There is only one road leading to Weed, and its 67 residents are scattered among houses and farms located far from each other. The nearest large settlement is El Paso, Texas, on the border with Mexico. However, it takes several hours to get there, having overcome almost 200 km of desert.

Near Weed is the Lincoln National Forest, which has never been popular with tourists. In short, the fugitive chose the perfect place to live, almost openly. Under the fictitious name of Walter Lee Coffman, he felt so confident that he even received social benefits from the state. The criminal had a solid house near the forest and a plot of land of 18 hectares.

Campbell moved freely around the country and was even actively involved in buying and selling real estate in different states. He lived for thirty-five years without attracting any attention to himself. It was only in 2020 that he was suspected by passport office employees in New Mexico. When he was renewing his driver's license in the name of Coffman, he was accidentally noticed by agents of the fraud unit of the National Passport Center.

The electronic system revealed that Walter Lee Coffman had been dead for years, uncovering a fraud that had lasted nearly four decades. During that time, Campbell had collected nearly $140,000 in Social Security payments in someone else's name. But before heading to Weed, police had spent five years investigating to rule out any errors.

In early 2025, the court issued a warrant for the arrest of Stephen Campbell, and a raiding party headed to his secluded farm. It turned out that the 76-year-old fugitive had not lost his vigilance during his years of quiet life. He met the police fully armed: in a bulletproof vest and with an automatic rifle in his hands. The criminal fortified himself on a hill near the house and clearly intended to offer armed resistance.

The police had to use several flashbangs to bring Steven to his senses. After some thought, he surrendered without firing a shot. An inspection of his weapon revealed that the magazine contained high-impact rounds capable of easily penetrating light police bulletproof vests.

The elderly fugitive is currently in custody awaiting trial. He has been charged with attempted murder of his wife, destruction of property, forgery, fraud, illegal possession of 57 weapons, resisting authorities and several other lesser offenses. However, Campbell admits to all but one of the charges. He insists that he never planned to kill his unfaithful wife.

When asked by investigators why he did not flee to Mexico, the criminal could not give a clear answer. Having left the United States, he could easily have spent the rest of his life in freedom. If the court finds Steven guilty - and this is likely to happen - he faces from 20 years in prison to life imprisonment. However, for Campbell, who will soon turn 77, the difference is small: in any case, he is unlikely to live to see his release.

Stephen Campbell lived under a false name for 40 years and almost escaped punishment. And what do you think, if the criminal does not commit new crimes, should he be punished after so many years?