Kenny Lee Campbell of Mobile, Alabama is serving life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 2018 murder of 27-year-old Lelia Smith, and his arrest also prompted Mobile police to reopen a 2008 cold case involving the shooting death of his ex-wife, Shannon Marie Fitch.
The 2018 Killing of Lelia Smith
On the evening of Saturday, March 3, 2018, Mobile police responded to a report of a person down inside a vehicle on Shelton Beach Road Extension, just south of Bear Fork Road in north Mobile. Officers found Lelia Smith dead inside the car from gunfire.1WKRG. Man Found Guilty of 2018 Murder, Young Mother Found Shot Inside Car Smith, a single mother of two, shared a child with Campbell. Her family told reporters they believed she had been a victim of domestic violence.2NBC 15. Young Mother Murdered, Discovered Hours Later in a Car
Search Warrant, Arrest, and Bond
Three days after the shooting, Mobile police executed a search warrant at Campbell’s home and recovered four firearms and 376 rounds of ammunition.1WKRG. Man Found Guilty of 2018 Murder, Young Mother Found Shot Inside Car Campbell was a convicted felon at the time, legally barred from possessing firearms.3WKRG. Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Woman’s Murder in 2018
He was not taken into custody right away. On May 9, 2018, more than two months after the killing, the 51-year-old Campbell was arrested and charged with Smith’s murder.4NBC 15. Mobile Man Charged With Murder of 27-Year-Old Woman Inside Vehicle He posted a $100,000 bond and was released pending trial.
Trial and Conviction
Campbell stood trial in Mobile County Circuit Court in September 2022, by then 55 years old. Assistant District Attorney Louis Walker argued that the killing was “highly premeditated,” and prosecutors presented evidence of Campbell’s four prior felony convictions.3WKRG. Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Woman’s Murder in 2018
On September 15, 2022, the jury found Campbell guilty of murder. After the verdict, Walker credited the Mobile Police Department and Detective Jermaine Rogers for the investigative work behind the case. The District Attorney’s Office said in a statement, “Due to his senseless actions, two children will now grow up without their mother.”5FOX 10. Mobile Man Found Guilty of Murdering Mother of Two
Life Without Parole and Denied Appeal
Campbell was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the intentional murder of Lelia Smith.3WKRG. Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Woman’s Murder in 2018 He appealed to the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals, which denied relief and, on August 30, 2024, overruled his application for rehearing, leaving the conviction and sentence in place.6Midpage. Kenny Lee Campbell v. State of Alabama, CR-2023-0039
Prior Criminal Record
Prosecutors introduced four prior felony convictions at Campbell’s murder trial. The record identifies one of them by name: a Georgia case in which Campbell was convicted of felony involuntary manslaughter and possession of a knife during the commission of a crime. In that case a victim died after Campbell stabbed him in the heart during an altercation at the victim’s home, and detectives recovered a knife with a six-and-five-eighths-inch blade from Campbell. The Georgia Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court’s judgment in February 2009.7FindLaw. Campbell v. State, No. A08A2188
The Reopened Cold Case of Shannon Marie Fitch
Campbell’s 2018 arrest brought renewed scrutiny to the death of his ex-wife, Shannon Marie Fitch. The two had married in February 2005. In early 2008, Fitch applied for a domestic abuse restraining order against Campbell. Two days later, on February 7, 2008, Campbell was arrested and charged with domestic violence against her. Mobile County jail records show he was released less than two hours after the arrest.8WKRG. Murder Suspect Has Connection With 10-Year-Old Cold Case
On February 23, 2008, roughly two weeks after that release, Mobile police found Fitch shot to death in front of her home on Woodley Road, with her toddler by her side.1WKRG. Man Found Guilty of 2018 Murder, Young Mother Found Shot Inside Car No arrest was ever made. After Campbell was charged with Smith’s murder in 2018, Mobile police confirmed they were reopening the Fitch investigation and looking at Campbell as a suspect.9AL.com. New Mobile Murder Sees 10-Year-Old Cold Case Reopened As of the most recent available reporting, no charges have been filed against Campbell or anyone else in Fitch’s death.