Florida businessman 'systematically' killed family before starting fire

Darrin Campbell, wife and two children died in 'murder-suicide'
Family died at house owned by ex-tennis star James Blake

A Florida father “systematically” shot his wife and two teenage children dead then started a fire that destroyed a tennis star’s mansion before turning his gun on himself, detectives announced on Friday.

Businessman Darrin Campbell, 49, appeared to leave no note or other explanation for his actions on Wednesday at the rented house in Tampa’s exclusive Avila Golf and Country Club, Colonel Donna Lusczynski of the Hillsborough county sheriff’s office said.

But evidence found inside the burned-out building, security camera footage of Campbell purchasing large numbers of fireworks that he scattered around the property, and buying gasoline that he used as an accelerant, led investigators to conclude that he was the sole perpetrator.

“Based on the findings of the medical examiner and our investigation, it has been determined to be a murder-suicide,” Lusczynski said at a lunchtime media briefing.

“Darrin Campbell, with the gun that was registered to him, a .40 Sig Sauer, systematically shot his son, his daughter and his wife in the head. He then placed fireworks throughout the residence, used an accelerant to assist in lighting the fire, lit the fire and then shot himself.

“We don’t know the order in which this occurred and I don’t know if we’ll ever be able to determine that. We also don’t know why this occurred,” she added.

Describing the deaths as “very disturbing”, Lusczynski confirmed the identities of the victims as Kimberly Campbell, 51, and the couple’s two children, Colin, 18, and Megan, 15, both honour roll high school students. The family had been renting the five-bedroom property from the retired professional tennis player James Blake, now a resident of Connecticut, for almost two years.

“We have two teenagers that were well respected, well liked by their friends, their peers and the community, the family seemingly normal,” Lusczynski said, adding that detectives continued to talk to their friends and family members to try to establish a motive.

Campbell was trustee to the board of treasurers at Carrollwood day school, which both of his children attended. Fellow students were “deeply traumatised,” Lusczynski said, and grief counsellors were at the school again on Friday.

Campbell was also a senior executive of Vastec Inc, a digital records company based in Tampa, but had recently taken some time off work for unknown reasons. He was captured on CCTV at a Phantom Fireworks shop in the city on Sunday buying six packets of firecrackers and at least another six packets of aerial fireworks, about an hour after he was seen buying fuel containers at a home improvement store.

On Tuesday, the day before the fire, he filled them up at two separate gas stations, Lusczynski said.

Neighbours reported a huge explosion and fireball at the house at about 5.45am on Wednesday, with firefighters initially held back by the exploding fireworks inside. It took more than six hours to fully extinguish the flames.

A search of the remains of the property was expected to be complete by the end of Friday, while investigators were also trying to establish the functionality of a number of computers removed from the house that were damaged in the blaze.

The handgun found beside Campbell’s body was registered to him and purchased at local shooting supplies store in 2013, Lusczynski said.

“Anytime this happens it’s just a tragedy, and disturbing to us as a sheriff’s office and the investigators,” she said. “Nobody likes to see this kind of tragedy.”

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTEoKyaqpSerq96wqikaK%2Bfp7mle5FpaG1nnZbGcHyYaJ2lp6KesaJ5wa6qoqaVqMCurc1mqrKrpJq6osDInJilpKliuKq4y56bZp6RoratxYyfoKudXZ%2BurrHSZpmlmZua