The family of a deceased man whose fugitive classmate fraudulently used his identity for decades say they are ‘disgusted’ and ‘angry’ that their loved one’s memory has been desecrated by a violent alleged criminal.
Stephen Craig Campbell, 76, had been on the run for 42 years before he was snared by federal authorities in Weed, New Mexico, on February 19.
Campbell was wanted on attempted first-degree murder charges after he allegedly planted a bomb that severely injured his estranged wife in Wyoming in 1982.
The California native was released on bond in 1983 and then vanished, seemingly without a trace.
That was until investigators discovered that Campbell had allegedly assumed the identity of Walter Lee Coffman, who died in a car wreck in 1975, to evade capture and illegally obtain government benefits.
Coffman’s aunt, Sharon Ennis, told DailyMail.com she was outraged to learn that Campbell had preyed on her family’s tragedy for his own illicit gain.
‘We’re in total shock and disgust,’ said Ennis. ‘My nephew – Butch, as we called him – was a fine young man. Just a wonderful, upstanding citizen who had a wonderful life ahead of him, but it was tragically cut short.
‘That’s what hurts so badly, is that this man – this criminal – robbed Butch of his identity.
‘He took the name of one of the nicest people and did all these terrible things in Butch’s name.’
Stephen Craig Campbell, 76, was arrested on February 19 after living under his dead classmate’s identity for more than 40 years
Walter Lee Coffman, 22, was tragically killed in a car crash in 1975, just two months after graduating from the University of Arkansas with an electrical engineering degree
Campbell began using Coffman’s name with his own photos and addresses on his legal documents in 1984
Ennis said her family has had no contact with law enforcement and found out about Campbell’s arrest online.
Coffman was just 22 when he died. He had been driving back home from visiting his girlfriend near Hot Springs, Arkansas, when he was struck by another driver and died on impact.
Authorities believe both Coffman and Campbell were engineering students at the University of Arkansas in the mid-1970s, suggesting a possible connection between the two, according to court records.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office claims that Campbell first applied for a passport under Coffman’s name in 1984 and renewed it multiple times, using a photograph of himself.
Campbell also allegedly obtained a replacement Social Security card in Coffman’s name in 1995 using an Oklahoma driver’s license in Coffman’s name.
When he relocated to New Mexico in 2003, Campbell allegedly purchased 44 acres of land in Coffman’s name.
He then reportedly used that address to renew his passport under Coffman’s name in 2005 and 2015, updating his photo each time.
However, Campbell’s web of lies began to unravel in September 2019 after he attempted to renew his driver’s license.
While the renewal was successful, by 2024, agents from the National Passport Center’s Fraud Prevention Unit discovered Coffman had long been dead and alerted the U.S Attorney’s Office to a potential fraudulent use of his identity.
It was also discovered that Campbell had allegedly been awarded Social Security Title II Retirement Insurance Benefits of approximately $140,000 under Coffman’s name.
‘Honestly, it makes me so mad. Furious,’ said Ennis. ‘This man makes me so angry.
‘I guess they must have been acquaintances [at college], but I’d never heard this man’s name before this all came out.
‘He’s just used Butch’s death as a scapegoat. There’s not a chance Butch would’ve been friends with a man like that.’
Campbell has been on the Most Wanted list because he was arrested in 1982 after he allegedly planted a bomb inside a toolbox at the doorstep of his ‘estranged’ wife’s boyfriend’s house and then failed to appear in court
Campbell moved to New Mexico around 2003, authorities believe, and he brought 44 acres of land under Coffman’s name
Federal authorities secured search and arrest warrants for Campbell on February 14.
An FBI SWAT team, with support from Social Security Administration agents, Customs and Border Protection aircraft, and Otero County Sheriff’s deputies, executed that warrant last week.
Campbell allegedly greeted them dressed in camouflage, wearing hearing protection, and armed with a loaded, scoped .302 caliber FAL rifle, court records show.
The fugitive was positioned in an ‘elevated, partially concealed spot’ along a tree line as SWAT agents approached in BearCats and deployed flashbangs.
Campbell initially didn’t respond to instructions to surrender but was eventually apprehended without incident, records state.
Inside the property, agents recovered a trove of weapons, including 57 firearms and an abundance of ammunition.
Authorities also recovered fraudulent documents in Coffman’s name, including a Social Security card and multiple passport cards.
A fingerprint examination later confirmed Campbell’s true identity.
He had been featured on the US Marshals Most Wanted list for years.
In addition to first-degree attempted murder, Campbell has been charged with misuse of a passport.
Prosecutors said they are evaluating the possibility of additional charges.
Ennis said she hopes Campbell faces swift, stiff justice.
On the face of things, Ennis said the Campbell and the man he spent decades impersonating couldn’t have appeared more different.
Campbell reportedly got two more new passports without anyone batting an eye before his elaborate plot unraveled in 2019
When Campbell’s extensive property was searched, officials found 57 firearms and large amounts of ammunition
FBI investigators found the suspect’s rifle was loaded with ‘armor-piercing ammunition and a round chambered’
Affectionately remember her nephew, Ennis shared: ‘[Butch] graduated with honors from high school, had a wonderful job awaiting him after college, and he had a wonderful life ahead of him.
‘He was a good Christian man who knew his savior. He was a great young man who loved all kinds of sports, who did really well in college, and had everything going for him.
‘Butch and his dad (my brother) were as close as two people can be. And when the crash happened, it almost killed my brother.’
Coffman’s father, Marlin Coffman, died on January 30, 2025. He was 96.
Finding a solemn silver lining, Ennis said she’s relieved Marlin died before he could learn of Campbell allegedly stealing his son’s name.
‘I’m so glad his father did not hear this. Had he known, it would have devastated him, knowing this had been going on all these years and Butch being associated with someone like that.
‘I’m relieved and comforted by the fact this individual is now behind bars.
‘I’m glad he’s being charged with these things because he got by for so long, and nobody knew it.
‘I’m glad he’s meeting his fate, and I hope he faces justice swiftly.’
