1982 Bomber Stole the Identity of a Dead Classmate for 40 Years

Stephen Craig Campbell's 1982 mug shot. Photo courtesy of U.S Marshals.

For more than four decades, a fugitive wanted in connection with a deadly 1982 home bombing managed to stay hidden by assuming the identity of a deceased classmate. But his life on the run came to a shocking end when authorities finally tracked him down 40 years later, unraveling a case that had long gone cold.

1982 Bombing

In 1982, Stephen Craig Campbell planted a bomb in a toolbox outside his estranged wife's boyfriend's home in Wyoming. When his wife opened the box, the device exploded, severing one of her fingers, causing other injuries, and igniting a fire that spread to a neighboring house.

Campbell was arrested after the attack and charged with attempted first-degree murder. He was released on bond in 1983, but he failed to appear in court. Instead, he vanished — launching a 40-year manhunt that only ended when authorities arrested him at age 76.

A Bold and Unbelievable Escape

After vanishing in 1983, Stephen Craig Campbell managed to stay off law enforcement's radar by assuming the identity of Walter Lee Coffman, a former classmate from the University of Arkansas who had died at age 22 in 1975. Investigators believe the two likely had a connection due to their shared engineering background.

Beginning in 1984, Campbell used Coffman's name to build a new life. He successfully applied for a passport, later renewing it multiple times with updated photographs. In 1995, he obtained a replacement Social Security card using an Oklahoma driver's license under Coffman's name. By 2003, he had relocated to Weed, New Mexico, where he purchased property under his stolen identity. Over the years, he even collected approximately $140,000 in Social Security benefits intended for Coffman.

Campbell's decades-long deception unraveled in 2019 when he renewed his driver's license in Cloudcroft, New Mexico. The U.S. Passport Center's Fraud Prevention Unit flagged the application, uncovering that Coffman had been deceased for decades. This discovery ultimately led to the fugitive's arrest in February 2025.

The Standoff That Ended a 40-Year Run

After years of searching, authorities finally obtained an arrest warrant for Stephen Craig Campbell and tracked him to his 44-acre property in New Mexico. But when law enforcement arrived, Campbell did not surrender quietly. Armed with a scoped rifle, he allegedly positioned himself in an elevated, partially concealed spot, appearing ready for a standoff.

Officers repeatedly ordered him to drop his weapon, but Campbell refused. It wasn't until SWAT deployed flashbangs that he finally emerged from the tree line and was taken into custody. His rifle was found loaded with high-powered ammunition capable of piercing standard body armor. A subsequent search of his property uncovered nearly 60 firearms and a large stockpile of ammunition.

Campbell was charged with misuse of a passport, a crime that carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison. Investigators are also reviewing additional charges, and Wyoming authorities have placed a detainer on him in connection with his pending attempted first-degree murder case.

References: 1982 Bombing Suspect Arrested After 40+ Years on the Run | Fugitive wanted in 1982 home bombing evaded capture by assuming dead classmate's identity, officials say