Darwin Nominee: killer intentionally left his DNA at murder scene to confuse cops

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Dellando Campbell murder plot; intentionally left his blood at murder scene as part of insurance plot.
Dellando Campbell murder plot; intentionally left his blood at murder scene as part of insurance plot.

California Man Pleads Guilty To Maryland Murder Solved By DNA

DNA Sample Taken by California Police in 2013 Matched 2009 Maryland Murder Scene

Baltimore, Maryland – Dellando Recardo Campbell, age 31, of Lemoore, California, pleaded guilty today to interstate domestic violence resulting in the death of a spouse, in connection of the death of Serika Dunkley Holness.

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Colonel Marcus L. Brown, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; and Special Agent in Charge Stephen E. Vogt of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

“The blood Dellando Campbell left behind at the 2009 crime scene was analyzed and entered into a national DNA database, where it waited four years for a match,” said U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein. “Thanks to a routine DNA analysis performed in California when Mr. Campbell was arrested on an unrelated charge, Maryland authorities finally learned the identity of the second killer of Serika Dunkley Holness.”

MURDER USAAccording to his plea agreement, Campbell conspired with Ryan Dave Holness to murder Ryan Holness’ wife, Serika Dunkley Holness. Campbell had known Holness since 2002, when they served together in the Navy. Between May and June 4, 2009, Holness contacted Campbell by phone and text at least 34 times and arranged for Campbell to travel to New York City to assist in the murder of Serika Holness. On June 4, 2009, Holness stated explicitly to Campbell that he was going to kill the victim and that he needed Campbell’s assistance to make the murder appear to have been committed during a carjacking on the drive to Maryland.

Campbell admitted that on the evening of June 4, 2009, Holness drove Campbell and the victim from New York to Maryland. At around 1:30 a.m. on June 5, 2009, Holness, Campbell and the victim arrived at a rural area along MD Route 290, just south of MD Route 291, in Crumpton, Kent County, MD. Holness parked the Honda on a farm access road. Serika Holness was murdered in a field beside Route 290 where she was repeatedly stabbed, resulting in her death.

Darwin award nominee

Campbell purposely left his own blood at the murder scene in order to provide support for Holness’s plan to tell the police that an unknown carjacker had attacked Holness and murdered the victim. Campbell admitted that he helped Holness stage the crime scene by depositing droplets of blood at various locations inside the passenger compartment of the Honda and on several of the victim’s personal items that were placed at the crime scene to be discovered by the police. Items at the murder scene from which Campbell’s DNA was later recovered included the victim’s purse, one of her sandals and a paperback book. Campbell then drove the Honda, guided by a GPS system, to a location between 6th and 7th Streets NW, Washington, D.C., where it was located and seized by homicide investigators later on June 5, 2009. Meanwhile, Holness told the police a bizarre false story about the supposed carjacking.

U. S. Navy Air Traffic Controller Ryan Holness and his pal, now convicted too, joined together to murder Holness' wife as the trio drove from New York headed back to Lexington Park, Md.  Holness is now serving a life sentence.
U. S. Navy Air Traffic Controller Ryan Holness and his pal, now convicted too, joined together to murder Holness’ wife as the trio drove from New York headed back to Lexington Park, Md. Holness is now serving a life sentence.

After a two week trial, Ryan Holness, age 33, formerly of Lexington Park, Maryland, was convicted of domestic violence resulting in the death of a spouse and sentenced on June 9, 2011, to life in prison.

The DNA profile of the unidentified male found in Holness’ car and on items at the crime scene was entered into the national DNA data base, where it was regularly compared with DNA profiles recovered since its entry. On October 22, 2013, a sample of Campbell’s DNA was routinely obtained by police in Lemoore, California. In January 2014, the California Department of Justice notified the Maryland State Police that Campbell’s DNA profile matched the DNA profile for the unidentified male in the Holness case. Campbell was arrested by the Maryland State Police and FBI in Lemoore, California on February 7, 2014.

If U.S. District Judge William M. Nickerson accepts the plea agreement, Campbell will be sentenced to 30 years in prison on November 5, 2014.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the Maryland State Police and FBI for their work in the investigation and thanked the Kings County, California, District Attorney’s Office, the California Department of Justice and the Lemoore, California, Police Department for their assistance. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorneys John F. Purcell, and Kenneth S. Clark, who are prosecuting the case.

  • The DNA profile of the unidentified male found in Holness’ car and on items at the crime scene was entered into the national DNA data base, where it was regularly compared with DNA profiles recovered since its entry. On October 22, 2013, a sample of Campbell’s DNA was routinely obtained by police in Lemoore, California. In January 2014, the California Department of Justice notified the Maryland State Police that Campbell’s DNA profile matched the DNA profile for the unidentified male in the Holness case. Campbell was arrested by the Maryland State Police and FBI in Lemoore, California on February 7, 2014.

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