STATE POLICE HEARD SHOTS THAT KILLED MEDLEY - Hearing Reveals Details About Sand Fork Murder

(08/01/2006)
By Drew Moody
For the Hur Herald
drewmoody@verizon.net

Everett Campbell, 33, is facing 1st degree murder charges in the shooting death of Mark Medley, 39, of Moundsville. He is being held without bond in the Central Regional Jail.

The case was bound over to circuit court by Magistrate Carol Wolfe for a bond hearing Wednesday, Aug. 2, before Judge Alsop.

More details of the shooting were revealed today, July 31, including that Medley may have been the one to call 9-1-1 just minutes before he was shot.

Someone did call 9-1-1 prior to the shooting. Court records indicate SrTr R.P. Smith heard two gunshots as he left the WV State Police office to answer the call - just 300 yards east.

Campbell testified today that he told Medley to leave, then fired a warning shot in the air. The second shot hit Medley near the bottom of his rib cage.

Campbell claims he intended to hit Medley in the leg. Campbell said he didn't intend to kill the man. Court records further indicate Medley may have threatened Campbell earlier.

The shooting was a culmination of a series of ongoing events that had transpired the day of the shooting, and perhaps even prior to that.

Court documents suggest there was an ongoing conflict between Campbell's ex-wife, Campbell and his sister. And at the center of the conflict was the care and custody of Campbell's children.

Campbell's sister apparently had the children and was attempting to take them to Campbell's father's house at Sand Fork, documents indicate.

Medley and Mary Ann Campbell, the ex-wife, were in a car following or chasing them. The records are not clear on this point.

Everett Campbell followed behind Medley and there may have been a fourth vehicle involved as well. Campbell told police he had the murder weapon in the floorboard area of his vehicle prior to the shooting.

The vehicles apparently traveled through the Brooklyn area of Glenville, briefly stopped downtown and then continued on to Sand Fork.

Court records indicate there may have been several attempts to call 9-1-1 at this time, but whoever was calling couldn't get service - or a signal at the time.

The shooting apparently occurred shortly after Campbell's sister arrived in Sand Fork, and Campbell's children were apparently in her vehicle at the time. Court records didn't indicate whether they witnessed the shooting.

Campbell indicated at the preliminary hearing that he witnessed the Medley vehicle attempting to force his sister's car off the road, records indicate.

In his report, SrTr R.P. Smith indicates he heard two gunshots as he was preparing to answer the domestic call at the residence. Upon arriving, describing the scene as chaotic, he saw Mary Ann Campbell lying on the ground beside the victim screaming, "Everett shot him, Everett shot him."

SrTr Smith first located the weapon, a black Taurus .357 magnum revolver, on the front porch. After securing the weapon he went to assist the victim.

At that time records indicate Medley told SrTr Smith the "guy in the green shirt" shot him.

Ambulance crew arrived shortly thereafter. Everett Campbell was questioned and placed under arrest by SrTr Smith.

Court records indicate Medley died prior to 10 p.m., not long after he was shot, but wasn't officially pronounced dead until 11:16 p.m.

The Hur Herald's previous coverage of the shooting indicated Gilmer County Sheriff Mickey Metz believed Medley died as he was being loaded in the ambulance.

State Police units from Lewis and Braxton Counties also answered the call, as well as the Gilmer County Sheriff's Department.

Statistics compiled by the West Virginia State Police indicate almost one-third of West Virginia's murders in 2004 happened in connection with a domestic violence situation, or occurred as a result of a history of domestic abuse.