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Wood County corrections officers lead Gabriel Campos down a hallway in the Wood County Courthouse in Wisconsin Rapids on Tuesday following his sentencing to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 40 years. Campos killed his former girlfriend, Maisie McCullough. (AP Photo/The Daily Tribune, Casey Lake)
WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wis. (AP) — A 22-year-old Marshfield man convicted of killing the mother of his child has been sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 40 years.
Gabriel Campos was arrested at a Wisconsin Rapids motel with his 2-year-old son in September 2012, a day after his ex-girlfriend was found with her throat cut in the bathtub of a home the couple once shared.
Marshfield police testified during a preliminary hearing that blood DNA that Campos had on his legs and in his car and a blood-covered knife in his vehicle matched the victim, 18-year-old Maisie McCullough. Authorities say McCullough had recently ended her relationship with Campos before she was killed.
WSAW-TV says Campos earlier pleaded guilty to first-degree intentional homicide.
Information from: WSAW-TV, http://www.wsaw.com
The show leaves a ton out that we need to gain better understanding. However, I do have a few comments. First, I thought it was odd that the story said his name was Gabriel Campos and not Derrick. After reading the comments, if it is not an error and he did change his name to match his son’s name, this is interesting. Mom never mentioned a biological father. He resented the step father and the name change kind of points to a void he had with no biological father. He may have changed the name to be more connected to his son. Also when the mom walked in on him pacing, saying “my son’s not going to call another man dad!” This was a sign pointing to him not having his own dad, Masie leaving, new boyfriend, and resentment to step dad. Someone also mentioned Derrick was adopted and he wasn’t. I wonder if mom never involved the biological dad or if he rejected having a child and left. Either way that was handled wrong and problems stemmed from the dad issue and how mom chose to deal with it. She should feel some guilt because she watered the seed that grew in him. She never disciplined him and when step dad tried to she never stood unified with that. She waited til he was gone and replaced the play station. He never should have gotten another okay station in life!! The fact that he waited out the entire day, CHRISTMAS DAY to not eat the eggs is amazing. Now to those commenting that autism is get out of discipline free card, NO WAY. Many people like to give their children these “diagnosis” as a means to avoid dealing with certain behaviors or to justify a child’s issues and get away with making it an illness. Rather than what it is, bad behavior that you are supposed to put time into and parent. The last two generations have labeled, misdiagnosed, and thrown hard drugs or narcotics at children by calling it add, ADHD, autism, and mental illness of different types when discipline and consistent parenting is what was lacking. I know I am going to hear it for this part of my comment but it is true. I’m not saying it is the case for all kids and some kids do genuinely have these issues. They do, some do. But not all. When parents do not want to face their own short comings, it is easier to label or make it an illness. Simple truth. May not be popular opinion, but it’s the harsh truth. Many people I grew up with became addicts with more issues because they were labeled as children and it was really lazy parents or made up issues when therapy became “a thing!” With or without dad, mom had a job to do with Derrick and she messed up. Hopefully she learned from her mistakes and does better with grandson. I wonder if Masie didn’t have the best parents because usually her relatives would have put up a fight to get the baby. More likely to win too cause her son was the killer. No one seemed to care that she moved in with Derrick and no one cares to acknowledge that SHE was willing to leave her son as soon as she turned 18!! She was not afraid to leave, and she was not afraid to come back when she came to his house the day she was killed. We can not over look a lot is missing about her as well. I definitely would like more details than the show gave cause so much is missing and these comments speak volumes to how some of you out there were raised as well. To the Lucy who wants a man like this to hurt her, I pray that is a troll comment. If not, that is not normal, that is not love, and please speak to someone to get help before you end up in an ugly situation that you seriously do not want to be a part of. If you are just trying to get reactions and be funny, it’s NOT. Because a true psychopath will one day be real serious about how careless a comment like that can be. Please talk to someone if you truly feel that way because your comment bothered me most. Especially if it’s a true feeling and not a troll comment. Derrick, you deserve prison but still speak to psychologist while you are there. At least so we can learn and prevent this type of behavior from happening in the first place. Mom, for the sake of your grandson and you to not repeat this cycle, GET REAL HELP. You fucked up. Fix it! Discipline is necessary and the fact that you lied to your friend to cover up one of his incidents is telling of YOUR deep seeded issues. It’s not ok and you should feel some guilt. Not trying to be mean but you need tough love and THE TRUTH. You must own up to short comings. Separate your son and grandson. If you love them you MUST. Masie, may you rest in peace and regardless of the situation or your issues, you never deserved to lose your life at Derricks hands. You deserved better. I seen some family in the comments and I wish they would be honest and share more details. Even if they are not so good, it’s ok. We just need to learn from it good or bad. I pray for you too. I am very blunt but not intended to be mean. Truth is how we heal, as people, together. Everything else keeps the circle going and we have more Derricks. The dumb comments in this thread are such examples. It had to be said. What we put out into the world is what we get back. My opinion is real and from a genuine place of concern and love for a better world believe it or not. May God have mercy on us all. This is definitely a crazy time to be alive. Don’t lose yourself in the chaos. That part is for anyone reading.
His mother is a blithering idiot. I wanted to reach into the TV and slap her sideways for being such a complete fool.
This boy should have been disciplined the first time he threw a fit because he didn’t get his way. Instead his mom enabled him and helped to make him the monster that he is.
The grandson needs to be taken away!!! She is an unfit mother. She parented out of guilt & now there is double guilt. That child has no hope for a good future.
The mother is to blame. She is ridiculous with everything she allowed. She was just waiting and waiting for something to happen and it finally did. Her son needed help from day one. I never heard anything about therapy, social services being involved,. She did nothing but sat around and waited.. her sons girlfriend begged her to throw her son out and she wouldn’t. I pray for her grandson. She shouldn’t have custody because any signs of trouble she’ll repeat her whole pattern again. She is a blubbering moron. She should be embarrassed
His mother should have let that little monster die when he was ill as an infant none of this would have happened, lets just hope someone will be at his parole hearings and prevent for that monster to be set free and to continue to terrorize society, for her grandson he has to bear the evil and wicked ways of his father.
Sincere condolences to Masie’s family. She’s the true victim here. Hindsight is just that. The Campos’ deserve no more attention or mention.
I really don’t think the mother could do anything! This kid was born evil. Some ppl are. Jeff Dahmer had a very good father and look what he did. Berkowitz had good parents.
I think demons get into these kids
As I sat here watching this episode of “Evil Lives Here” … I can’t fathom that she NEVER did anything to have her son charged or disciplined for anything he ever did, what the funk. She also tried helping him when he got charged, she is the reason he was what he was, makes me sick. I can’t believe she’s raising the child, for what, for him to become the same way. She’s made it look like she was the innocent one, she’s pathetic. She was innocent, she hardboard a flipping maniac that allowed to do whatever to whomever. Watching this just had me cursing at the tv at a pathetic mother who allowed her son to murder an innocent human being. I hope you let your grandson know that his father is an EVIL person and he should never be allowed out of prison. I hope she doesn’t take him to see that pos. I can’t even finish, so much to say, just makes me sick. I hope she reads all these comments. Here’s to mother of the year, yeah right. She’s an enabler to why her son did what he did, she never stopped him from doing what he did, ever.
The Mother of Derek should not have custody of his Son, Gabe. She is obviously not normal herself. The way she talks like a child is disgusting. The Step Father was smart to get away from both of them.
Until you deal with a child who has mental issues you have no idea what a parent goes through. You cannot blame his mother for the actions he took. The mental health treatment is terrible and most of the time doesn’t work. No one is to blame but Derek. You are making assumptions off of a edited program that clearly didn’t have the time allotted to tell every detail. Prayers that his son has a better life.
I watched the show. This is the most clueless woman I have ever met,and I’m 62 y/o. This inhumanthing should have been sent to counseling much longer before he killed the MOTHER of his son. To be sure, I’ve never had children,so I guess the I don’t understand the mother – child bond. HOWEVER, the first time he acts out violently against me,or other family members, or the family dog, off to counseling he goes. And I sure don’t understand why the stupid mother didn’t call the police,or at least kick him out permanently after her son pointed a rifle at her. Is she that stupid,apparently so. Feel sorry for her grandson under her care. She’s nuts just listen to her.
I am completely astonished, angry, and sick to my stomach that all of you people blaming the mother Shelly. I feel absolutely horrible for what she had to endure. It’s engrained in a mothers DNA to look out for their children. If you researched she did try therapy to no avail. But as a single mom she only wanted to make him happy, wanted affection, a relationship with her child. But when he reaches the point where she can’t control him what is she supposed to do. She couldn’t predict he would become a sociopath. Sure she could evict him get a protective order but those are just pieces of paper that aren’t any good until something serious does happen. She has my sympathy and prayers, she wasn’t the monster. She was a mom doing all she could. I never heard comments like this about the mothers of the boys at Columbine, or the Virginia tech massacres which were senseless. The both had parents, who were wealthy, did far more carnage. Why not blame them too. I could go on but I just can’t believe how many people have such disdain for Shelly it really bugs me. I didn’t feel that way at all, she’s been through enough, try walking in someone’s shoes or see it through there perspective I don’t think she did a thing wrong. The way a lot of you are judging her is sickening. I applaud her for telling her story that took a lot of courage.
His mom should have been charged with accessory to murder, what horrendous parenting !
Apparently, this woman gave birth to her son out of wedlock. She have known that something was terribly wrong with her son from day one. Ms Leitze is one of the most stupid women I ever heard about. She is one of the main reasons that her son Derek is so evil, and she is also the reason her son is a murderer.
Ms Leitz never disciplined her son This character is the very reason the death penalty should be kept in pla
m redmond you are so right!
Wow, just finished watching this. The play station thing got me! Seriously!? You buy him another one just like that. And the moment you would side with your wayward son against the man trying to discipline him I knew it was game over. I wouldn’t wish a child like that on anybody but you madam needed to have done so much more in the way of intervention from professionals to have given him half a chance. Instead you found solace in the bottle. Good luck with your 2nd chance
Shelly Leitz is at fault for being a non-parent. Period. She was more of a frightened, trapped, manipulated, weak willed enabler. Murder, abuse, temper tantrums, acting out, – this is all the result of NO discipline. This was bound to happen. This kid was, and is, pure evil and it’s entirely Shelly’s doing for her adamant refusal to set that kid straight & punish him when he clearly deserved it. Although I do suspect this story has a whole lot more to it, suffice it to say that Mr. Campos is exactly where he belongs. I hope he rots till his dying day in that cell. Campos should’ve been aborted while she still had the chance. He is an abusive animal & human murderer, and it is totally twisted & wrong thaat Ms. Lietz is raising her own grandson now, because there’s a good chance with her as a “caregiver” he will grow up to be exactly like his sperm donor.
The negative results of spoiling a child isn’t a complicated subject, we all get it. Shelly Lietz was completely honest even though she had to know the degree of undeserved misplaced judgment and blame she would recieve by an endless number of narrow minded, ignoramuses who believe the world has the slightest interest in hearing their meaningless, uneducated opinions, many of whom have no children. Shelly Lietz should be commended for such bravery. You’re right Pamela there is a ton of info we aren’t privy to (which still didn’t prevent you from exclaiming your ignorant conclusions). The most important fact that you’ve obviously missed, is that when it comes to the killers portrayed in possibly every episode of this 12 season true crime series, is that whether or not these killers were spoiled or not has absolutely ZERO relevance to them being sick, hate-filled murderers. I can’t believe in the year 2023 with the massive amount of knowledge and comprehensive, evidence based understanding in the fields of neurology, psychology, genetics etc there are still so many who just don’t care. Actually this can be seen just by watching a number of episodes of this show. These people are sociopaths and psychopaths and narcissists. Their brains are hard-wired to be this way. They aren’t capable of empathy or remorse. Their level of selfishness and demand for control defies rational thought. They want to kill and so they do, not because they got their way too often growing up.