Harold Campbell takes stand in own defense

Lake Charles, LA (KPLC) - Harold Campbell took the stand in his own defense Thursday afternoon.

He’s accused of second-degree murder for killing his wife, Edwina.

Campbell says it was around 10 at night and that he’d been drinking since 3:30 in celebration of a wonderful family vacation.

Choking up, Campbell told the jury he “felt like a man again” because the vacation had pleased his wife who so often disrespected him.

Campbell testified when he went home and into his bedroom he was cutting across his bed and thought he saw a man against the headboard—a man with “a big nose, eyes, and lips and jumped back and started squeezing the trigger,” to protect himself and his family.

Campbell says he didn’t realize it was his wife in the bed. Campbell testified sometimes his wife bullied and demeaned him.

He also contradicted the testimony of Edwina’s daughters, who said the couple had been in a loud argument.

The defense says Campbell was too drunk to form specific intent to kill and therefore cannot be guilty of second-degree murder.

Under cross examination by ADA Charles Robinson, Campbell seemed somewhat befuddled as he tried to reconcile what Robinson called Campbell’s “boogeyman story” with statements he made to police after the killing.

Statements such as, “I couldn’t take it no more,” which the state says refers to arguing with his wife.

Nor did Campbell have an explanation for an absence of bullet holes in the headboard after testifying that’s where he thought he saw the man.

Campbell testified when he made incriminating comments in the back of a police car he was having flashbacks about previous arguments he had had with his wife.

Campbell denied making up the story about the man, saying he told Clemons about it when they first met. The story has not come out before Campbell’s testimony on the stand.

Campbell was on the stand for two hours.

Court continued until 7:30 p.m. to accommodate a psychiatrist from Austin, the defense’s expert.

Dr. Leonard Weiss told jurors Campbell has alcohol use disorder and that he was intoxicated the night of the killing.

Weiss testified that if Campbell thought he shot someone other than his wife, he did not have specific intent to kill his wife. Specific intent to kill is required for a second-degree murder conviction.

Psychiatric Dr. Patrick Hayes took the stand Thursday morning, testifying that he did not consider Campbell too drunk to form specific intent.

Closing arguments are at 8:30 Friday morning.

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