Staunton man guilty in aggravated sexual battery case, gets 11 years

By Cleve Wiese

Published: June 13, 2008

It took a jury just 10 minutes Friday to find a Staunton man guilty of aggravated sexual battery in a case that hinged chiefly on the testimony of his young accuser.
Jeffery Allen Campbell, 35, was convicted of sexually abusing the juvenile in two bedrooms and a bathroom at his Churchville Avenue home over a four-month period in 2007. In addition to testimony from the victim, prosecutors cited bodily fluids found on a blanket found in Campbell’s home on the day of his arrest.
The News Virginian does not identity victims of sexual assault.
Campbell’s attorney, David Smith, dismissed the blanket as a weak piece of circumstantial evidence.
Prosecutors also pointed to five pornographic DVDs, with titles such as “Extreme Teen” and “Teen Frenzy,” seized by police during their search of Campbell’s home as evidence of his attraction to young girls. Campbell testified that his brother had given him the DVDs and that all the women depicted in them were over the age of 18.
In denying a defense request that the jury receive instructions about weighing circumstantial evidence, Judge Humes J. Franklin said the case depended chiefly on direct evidence — whether the jury found the juvenile or Campbell more credible.
“I am relieved for the victim in this case, that she was believed by members of the community who sat on the jury and that a sex offender is now off the streets,” Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Anne Reed said after the trial.
But some of Campbell’s friends and family said they were shocked by the quick verdict.
“They spent 10 minutes deliberating on a man’s life and now he’s going to be spending 11 years behind bars for something he didn’t do …” said Amanda Painter, 28, Campbell’s niece. “It’s an ugly crime and people automatically think he’s guilty.”
The jury deliberated another 15 minutes before sentencing Campbell to 11 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The maximum prison sentence for aggravated sexual battery is 20 years.