Border Crossing Bust: Homicide Suspect Arrested Trying to Enter United States
Overview
Above: Stock Image
“On April 9, 2024, at approximately 3:00 AM, the El Cajon Police Department responded to reports of a possible assault in the vicinity of 100 W. Main Street, El Cajon. Upon arrival, officers discovered an individual who had sustained fatal injuries consistent with blunt force trauma. Despite efforts to revive the victim, identified as 41-year-old Robert Mansi, a local homeless man, he was pronounced deceased at the scene. Mansi’s death was classified as a homicide.
El Cajon Police detectives launched an investigation and quickly identified the suspect as 37-year-old John Paul Campbell, also a homeless man. Records checks of Campbell revealed he had been arrested by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department on February 15, 2024, for assault with a deadly weapon and was booked into jail.
Less than two months later, Campbell was released from jail on April 8, 2024, approximately seven hours prior to the homicide. At the time of the homicide, he was on probation and had an extensive arrest record for violent crimes dating back to the early 2000s.
A be-on-the-lookout flier for Campbell was distributed throughout San Diego County. On April 12, 2024, at approximately 2:00 PM, United States Customs and Border Protection agents detained Campbell when he attempted to cross into the United States at the San Ysidro Land Port of Entry. El Cajon Police detectives took Campbell into custody shortly thereafter and booked him into the San Diego County Central Jail for murder.
The motive behind the homicide is unknown, and the investigation is ongoing. We urge anyone with information regarding this case to contact the El Cajon Police Department at (619) 579-3311. Alternatively, information can be shared anonymously through Crime Stoppers at (888)-580-8477 or online at sdcrimestoppers.org.“
