Ethan William Campbell Found Guilty on All Charges

This evening, a jury found Ethan Campbell guilty of Attempted First Degree Murder, a class two felony, First Degree Assault Causing Serious Bodily Injury with a Deadly Weapon, a class three felony, and First Degree Burglary, a class three felony.

On May 4th, 2024, Fort Collins Police responded to an apartment complex in midtown Fort Collins. Callers reported hearing a woman screaming; while en route, a woman called 911 and said she had been attacked by a male who had broken into her apartment and beat her with a stick while wearing a mask. 

When officers arrived, they found the victim with serious injuries and transported her to Medical Center of the Rockies, where she was able to recount the attack. A male had entered her apartment and begun beating her, claiming she had done something wrong and demanding she confess what she had done. By the time officers had arrived, the male had fled as the victim had played dead. 

Fort Collins Police Services began a large-scale investigation to determine the identity of who had brutalized and tried to take the life of this innocent woman. As leads continued to be exhausted, Fort Collins Police Services issued an additional press release in November 2024 as a call for the community's help in solving this crime. At that time, a tip came in pointing to Ethan Campbell, a male who lived in the same apartment complex. 

Campbell, who was 17 at the time of the incident, became the prime suspect, and a search of his home found a baton with the victim's DNA on it and a mask similar to the victim's description. He was arrested in February of 2025. 

Due to the extreme nature of the violence, our office charged Campbell in adult court. Transferring juveniles into the adult system is extremely rare in the 8th Judicial District and a decision we do not make lightly. However, for crimes this serious, the juvenile justice system is simply nowhere near sufficient to hold defendants appropriately accountable, recognize the harm to victims, and protect the community.

After filing, Mr. Campbell requested a reverse transfer hearing; this would allow him to be tried in juvenile court. After a week-long evidentiary hearing, our office successfully argued the case should stay in Adult Court, and the Judge denied the defense motion. 

The trial began on November 2nd and was led by Deputy District Attorney Callan Riedel and Chief Deputy District Attorney Brian Hardouin. Over two weeks of trial, our team presented 40 witnesses and nearly 100 pieces of evidence, including the mask worn by Campbell during the attack and the baton that nearly took the victim's life. 

The jury reached a verdict after six hours of deliberation and found Mr. Campbell guilty on all charges. 

Sentencing will be on January 20th, 2027, at 1:30 p.m. in Courtroom 4B. 

Mr. Campbell faces the following penalty ranges for his charges:

• Attempted First-Degree Murder (F2)
  • 16-48 years in the Department of Corrections
  • 5 years of parole
  • A fine up to $1,000,000
• First-Degree Assault Causing Serious Bodily Injury with a Deadly Weapon (F3)
  • 10-32 years in the Department of Corrections
  • 5 years parole
  • A fine up to $750,000 
• First Degree Burglary (F3)
  • 10-32 years in the Department of Corrections
  • 5 years parole
  • A fine up to $750,000 

"The severity of this case cannot be understated," said District Attorney Gordon McLaughlin. "This crime was senseless and unimaginably brutal. The victim demonstrated amazing strength during the assault and throughout this long road to a conviction. I am incredibly grateful for our team who supported this victim and didn't stop until justice was served. Fort Collins Police Services left no stone unturned until the person responsible was identified, and I couldn't be prouder of the case our team presented to the jury to ensure he was convicted and will be held accountable at sentencing."