Crime & Safety
Prosecution to Call New Witness in Campbell Trial
A downstairs neighbor will testify she heard the scuffle that took place shortly before Liya "Jessie" Lu's death.
Isaac Campbell's second trial in the August 2007 death of his ex-girlfriend, Liya "Jessie" Lu, got underway Thursday.
Prosecutors say Campbell killed Lu, 31, by placing her in a "sleeper hold"; he then dumped her body in a trash can filled with cat litter and
following a month-long trial and seven days of deliberations. However, the panel became deadlocked 10-2 in favor of conviction on whether the former Pasadena City College student was guilty of second-degree murder.
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Because of the Double Jeopardy clause in the Constitution, the new jury cannot convict Campbell, 37, of first-degree murder.
In his opening statement, Prosecutor Steven Ipson told the jury he found a new witness to take the stand. Ipson said a woman who lived in the apartment below Campbell's will testify she heard a scuffle take place shortly before Lu's death.
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Though the couple often argued loudly, the argument that took place the night of Aug. 11, 2007 "was much more heated than usual," Ipson said. The neighbor "heard a bam and then everything went silent."
The new witness could testify as early as next week, Ipson said.
Public Defender Jim Duffy told the jury the prosecution has "absolutely no evidence" that a murder took place. Lu "had a long and documented history of neurological problems" that likely caused her demise, Duffy said.
The medical examiner who performed Lu's autopsy could not determine the cause of her death.
Investigators did not discover Lu's "mummified" body until Sept, 15, 2007 — more than a month after she died. Lu's brain had become "liquefied" during that time, making it impossible for him to confirm whether or not a seizure disorder ultimately killed her.
Her body had no ligature marks, bruises or other signs of abuse.
Duffy told the jury Campbell's reaction to Lu's tragic demise "is why we're here today."
Shortly after Lu's death, Campbell took a trip to Las Vegas with a female friend. Later, he adopted the alias "John Connor" and fled to Minnesota, where authorities arrested him in September 2007.
He has remained in custody ever since in lieu of $1.275 million bail.
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