Washington State: Man Accused of Shooting Man Stealing Catalytic Converter Then Dragging Body Behind Truck

A 54-year-old man is accused of shooting and killing a man who was attempting to steal a catalytic converter from his truck in the middle of the night. The 54-year-old, Michael Scott Campbell, not only shot and killed the man but also dragged his body behind his truck before dumping it in a field in Lakewood, Washington.

Court documents detail the horrifying crime. Campbell was asleep in his Ford F-150 before being awakened by someone attempting to steal his catalytic convertor. Campbell said he opened the passenger side door and saw a set of legs sticking out from underneath the truck. Campbell fired off three shots at the man under the truck.

The wounded man attempted to crawl to his own truck for safety but, Campbell was not done yet. Campbell told police in excruciating detail that “he lashed the victim’s hands above his head and tied him to the ball hitch on his F-150, then dragged him through the field. The defendant further stated that the victim was still alive and talking as he was lashing him to the truck, and was still alive when he untied him and abandoned him in the field.”

In the same parking lot where this incident occurred, a truck driver was awakened to the loud noise. The truck driver saw two men in the parking lot and identified one as Campbell. The witness verified that he saw Campbell dragging the body through the parking lot, before driving to a field nearby. The witness saw Campbell return from disposing of the body before he drove the victim’s vehicle away and then walked back to the parking lot. Campbell then drove off minutes before the witness called 911 and detailed the chain of events.

Officers found a “significant” amount of blood in the gravel parking lot as well as a “distinctive drag mark” which they traced directly to the victim’s body. As officers were in the middle of interviewing the witness, Campbell drove past in his truck. The witness recognized it to be Campbell and police pulled him over shortly thereafter.

Campbell’s vehicle was searched. “Obvious amounts of dirt on the tires and rims” were found as well as grass matching the field in which the body was disposed, according to the court documents. Investigators found Campbell’s pistol and a green rope that matched the rope found at the crime scene.

Campbell will appear in court on June 28th and will face second-degree murder, kidnapping, and illegal possession of firearm charges.