The Brazos County district attorney’s office also announced the trial judge sentenced Bennie Campbell to 20 years.
Campbell was on parole from prison for the third time when he was arrested shortly after attacking his wife and one of her sons in November of 2018.
News release from the Brazos County district attorney’s office:
Bennie Campbell was sentenced to 20 years in prison by Judge David Hilburn of the 361st District Court on Friday, September 16, 2022 after a Brazos County jury found him guilty of Assault Family Violence with a Previous Conviction.
On November 18, 2018, the Brazos County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call made by the victim’s 17-year-old son after his step-father, the defendant, struck his mom in the face, causing injuries.
At the time of the assault, the defendant and victim had been together for more than 15 years. They lived at a house in Bryan with their two young daughters, and the victim’s 17-year-old son.
On the day of the assault, the victim got up to do some chores around the house. The defendant was upset being woken up by the noise early on a weekend. This caused an argument, which resulted in the
defendant hitting the victim in the face. The victim’s son heard the assault. When he confronted the defendant about the assault, the defendant responded by hitting the son as well. The defendant fled the scene after the 17 year old called 911.
Deputy Elmore responded to the house and was able to talk to the victim and her son about what had taken place. After explaining the events from that morning, the victim showed Deputy Elmore the injury to her lip caused by the defendant.
Officers were not able to locate the defendant on the day of the assault, so they got a warrant for his arrest.
On November 26, 2018, Deputy Ostiguin of the Sheriff’s Office responded to a call regarding a domestic disturbance at the same residence following a verbal argument between the defendant and victim. The
defendant was arrested on the warrant from November 18th.
During the trial, the jury heard testimony about what happened on November 18, 2018. They also learned about the lengthy history between the defendant and victim. The jury heard evidence of multiple other assaults committed by the defendant against the victim over the years. Among them was an assault from 2009 of which the defendant was convicted after causing injuries to the victim’s face.
The jury also learned about a 2011 Burglary of Habitation where the defendant kicked in the door to the victim’s parents’ house and proceeded to assault the victim once inside, causing injuries to her face.
At the time of the November 18, 2018 assault, the defendant was on parole following his third prison trip.
Assistant district attorneys Nathan Wood and Gretchen Helmuth issued the following statement: “We are grateful that these jurors saw the 20-year history of domestic violence in this case for the terrible crime that it has been. We should not shy away from crimes that happen in the privacy of a victim’s home, rather we should bring them into the light and see that justice is done even there.”