A man convicted in the 1990 killings of a teenage babysitter and the toddler she was watching in Wayne County will now be paroled outside the region following strong public backlash to his planned release locally.
The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office says Chad Campbell will be paroled in Erie County instead of Wayne County. In a statement on social media, the sheriff’s office said the change was influenced by “the overwhelming public outcry from our citizens.”
Campbell, now 50, has been in state custody since 1996 and is currently incarcerated at the Woodbourne Correctional Facility. The New York State Board of Parole ruled that he will be cleared for release as early as March 12.
Campbell was 14 years old in 1990 when he raped and stabbed his classmate, Cindy Lewis, in Palmyra. Lewis had been babysitting 17-month-old Curtis Rizzo, who was also killed in the attack.
Campbell was later convicted of two counts of second-degree murder and sentenced to 18 years to life in prison.
According to authorities, Campbell had previously been denied parole multiple times, with officials citing concerns about a lack of remorse. However, the parole board recently approved his release after nearly three decades in prison.
