Former USMS Most wanted fugitive assumed the identity of deceased University of Arkansas student in 1983

A 76-year-old fugitive, wanted for over four decades on attempted first-degree murder charges, was apprehended in Weed, New Mexico, on February 19, 2025, following an investigation that exposed his elaborate use of a deceased man’s identity to evade justice and fraudulently claim government benefits.

Stephen Craig Campbell, who had been living under the alias Walter Lee Coffman since the 1980s, was arrested after a tense standoff with law enforcement on his 44-acre property.

The arrest marks the end of a 42-year manhunt for Campbell, a former United States Marshals Most Wanted fugitive.

Authorities allege he assumed the identity of Coffman, a 22-year-old University of Arkansas engineering graduate who died in 1975, shortly after both attended the same institution. Campbell is suspected of using Coffman’s identity to obtain passports, a Social Security card, and a driver’s license, renewing them over decades with his own photograph and current addresses.

The scheme unraveled in September 2019 when Campbell attempted to renew a New Mexico driver’s license in Cloudcroft using fraudulent documents in Coffman’s name. This triggered an investigation by the National Passport Center’s Fraud Prevention Unit, which uncovered Coffman’s death and Campbell’s alleged misuse of his identity.

Further scrutiny revealed that Campbell had received approximately $140,000 in Social Security retirement benefits under the false identity since 2003, when he relocated to Weed and purchased property.

Campbell’s past caught up with him through a separate crime: a 1982 arrest in Wyoming for attempted first-degree murder. Court records state he planted an explosive device at the home of his estranged wife’s boyfriend, injuring his wife and damaging two residences. Released on bond in 1983, Campbell fled, prompting an active warrant that remained unresolved for over 40 years.

On February 14, 2025, authorities obtained warrants to arrest Campbell and search his Weed property. The operation, involving multiple agencies including the FBI and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, culminated in a dramatic confrontation. Campbell allegedly emerged armed with a loaded, high-powered rifle equipped with a scope, positioned in an elevated spot.

After law enforcement deployed flashbangs and issued repeated commands, he surrendered and was taken into custody. A subsequent search uncovered 57 firearms and significant ammunition stockpiles—possessions prohibited to a fugitive.

Fingerprinting confirmed Campbell’s true identity and fugitive status. He now faces federal charges for passport misuse, carrying a potential 10-year sentence, with additional charges under consideration as evidence is reviewed. Wyoming’s Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office has also requested a detainer for the pending murder case.

Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin, alongside officials from the FBI and Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General, announced the arrest, crediting a coordinated effort led by the FBI’s Las Cruces Resident Agency, the Diplomatic Security Service, and other partners. Assistant U.S. Attorney Clara Nevarez Cobos is prosecuting the case.

Campbell remains in custody awaiting trial, presumed innocent until proven guilty. His capture closes a decades-long chapter of evasion, leaving authorities to unravel the full extent of his alleged crimes.