Thomas Campbell, Cop Killer, Dies in Prison

The biker killed Officer Dennis McNamara in 2002 and died while serving a life sentence for the crime.

The outlaw biker Thomas Campbell died in prison on Wednesday. He was serving a life sentence for the 2002 killing police officer Dennis McNamara of Upper Darby and was an inmate at Graterford State Prison in Montgomery County, the Delaware County Daily Times reported this morning.

In January 2002, Campbell shot McNamara at point-blank range with a handgun after McNamara walked into a store to investigate a suspicious vehicle. After fleeing the scene, Campbell was captured in Bucks County by Pennsylvania State troopers and McNamara died at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania later that same night, the Daily Times wrote.

Campbell pleaded guilty during trial to the murder and a firearms violation, and was sentenced to life plus an additional five to ten years. At the time Campbell committed the murder, he was already being sought by police over a course of two years for other weapons charges, Philly.com reported.

Wendy Shaylor, a spokesperson for Graterford, told both news outlets that Campbell died of apparent natural causes. Calls for comment to Graterford and the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections have not yet been returned.

Campbell was 65 years old. His 66th birthday, according to information from the Dept. of Corrections inmate search tool, would have been this coming Saturday, July 11th.