NEWTON COUNTY Logger charged in death of woman

A Newton County logger was charged Friday with capital murder after he quit his job on Tuesday, and police said he shot his girlfriend and dumped her body in Big Piney Creek.

Newton County Sheriff Keith Slape said Jackie Len Campbell, 48, of Vendor was arrested Wednesday on charges that he killed Alice Lloyd, 40, of Hasty.

District Judge Tommy Martin denied bond during Campbell’s first court appearance Friday morning in Jasper.

Slape said authorities don’t know a motive for the slaying. The two were in his Vendor home when he fired a shotgun blast into her chest, Slape said.

“He said at first there were other people who had done it, and now he’s saying it’s self defense,” Slape said. “Our physical evidence is showing contrary to that.”

Police believe Campbell shot Lloyd late Tuesday or early Wednesday and wrapped her body in a blanket. Authorities believe he drove the woman’s body in his Dodge Stratus on Wednesday to Big Piney Creek near Fort Douglas in Johnson County and dumped it.

Evidence suggests he then left the scene only to have his car catch fire. He then threw the bloodsoaked blanket off a bridge,Slape said.

Campbell then attempted to flag down other motorists and get a ride away from the area, while the fire was reported to the Johnson County sheriff’s office on Wednesday afternoon by other people, Slape said.

When deputies arrived, they made contact with Campbell. They soon discovered Lloyd’s body floating face down in the creek, Slape said.

E.G. Campbell, the owner of the sawmill where Campbell worked a few months a year, described him as hardworking. He saw surprised to see Jackie Campbell, a distant relative of his, show up at work Tuesday to quit his job and pick up hisfinal paycheck.

“He just said he was going to quit,” his former boss said. “He did that about every summer.”

Velma Smith, who runs Norton’s Country Store in the Piercetown community north of Vendor, said Campbell and Lloyd visited her store from time to time. Campbell gassed up his chain saw at the store on his way to work some days, Smith said.

“They were both likable people,” Smith said.

Campbell was being held late Friday in the Boone County jail, said Jail Administrator Jason Day. He could be arraigned as early as Friday, Slape said.

An autopsy on Lloyd’s body was to be conducted at the state Crime Laboratory in Little Rock, Slape said.

Northwest Arkansas, Pages 9 on 06/19/2010

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