Tammi Jean Campbell, 33, disappeared on June 12, 1999, leaving behind a 12-year-old son. A jury convicted her ex-boyfriend of her murder in April 2010. Tammi’s body has never been found.
Tammi was originally from Texas. She lived in Kentucky in 1998 with her then-boyfriend, Gary Lee Robinson, and by all accounts, he was an abusive a-hole. Fed up, Tammi fled with her son James to Grove City, Ohio, that year to get away from Robinson.
Once in Grove City, she secured an apartment and obtained employment at CVS Pharmacy. Some reports state that she might have also been an exotic dancer.
Robinson, then 35, followed Tammi to Grove City in May 1999. Around that time, Tammi’s landlord served her with eviction papers, and she allowed Robinson to stay with her. She also invited him to accompany her to Columbus but ended the relationship.
On June 12, 1999, Tammi dropped James off with her friend, Sharon Hager. She planned to visit another friend that night and go to her pharmacy job the following day. Tammi never arrived. She also planned to purchase drugs from a dealer at 3 a.m., but Tammi never arrived at the meetup location. She has never been seen again.
Knowing Tammi well, Sharon grew concerned when she never returned for James the following evening. Sharon went to Tammi’s apartment in the 3100 block of Southwest Boulevard on June 13, 1999, and found Robinson alone. She asked him where Tammi was, and he told her she was probably out somewhere using drugs.
But Sharon immediately knew something terrible had happened to her friend. Tammi’s identification, keys, purse, and wallet remained in her apartment. Somebody had parked her car in the Dairy Queen parking lot across the street. However, there were no indications of foul play.
Robinson never reported Tammi missing. Sharon tried to file a missing persons report three days later, but the police would not allow her to do it then. However, she was able to file a report on June 18, 1999, six days after Tammi’s disappearance. The delay caused a tremendous amount of lost time in the investigation. The first 48 hours are crucial in a disappearance case. Furthermore, if there was a search for her, it likely started after Sharon officially reported her missing.
It’s unclear why she could not file a report for six days, but that ultimately makes the police department look like shit.
Trial and Conviction
On June 9, 2008, Judge James Heath sentenced Robinson to four years in prison for attempted felonious assault and domestic violence involving his stepdaughter. “The police searched his property and found a blue shirt and some of Tammi’s jewelry, including a gold and diamond necklace, which her son said she never removed. The necklace was buried in the backyard of Robinson’s parents’ home.” (Good)
One month before Robinson’s sentencing, investigators reopened Tammi’s case. Robinson was indicted for her murder a year later, in May 2009, and his trial began in April 2010.
His ex-girlfriend and James testified against him. Robinson’s ex-girlfriend told the police that Robinson had bragged about killing Tammi. He said he had strangled her, wrapped her body in a carpet, and disposed of it in the county landfill. However, investigators combed through five million pounds of refuse in 2000 but never found Tammi’s body.
Tammi’s neighbors reported hearing a loud thumping sound coming from Tammi’s apartment around 3:30 a.m. on the night of her disappearance.
Unsurprisingly, Robinson’s defense attorney argued that no evidence proved Tammi was murdered and theorized her drug use may have played a part in her death. He also suggested that if she was a homicide victim, then one of her other boyfriends killed her, not his client. (Columbus Dispatch)
That was a far-fetched theory, and the jury did not believe it. Following a four-day trial, the jury found Robinson guilty of murder and tampering with evidence. A judge sentenced him to 20 years in prison on June 14, 2010
“I don’t believe that a murder was proven,” Robinson said. “I don’t believe a death was proven.”
Sorry, buddy, but the jury felt otherwise.
Grove City Police Capt. Steven R. Robinette was satisfied with the guilty verdict but hoped Robinson would one day tell the police where he disposed of Tammi’s body. (Columbus Dispatch) To this day, Robinson remains silent and has never given any information regarding the body.
At sentencing, Judge Richard Frye also ordered Robinson to repay the Grove City police $185,180 – the cost of searching the landfill for Tammi’s body.
Robinson is eligible for parole on March 8, 2032. He is currently incarcerated at the Chillicothe Correctional Institution.
Sharon raised James after Tammi’s disappearance. He is now in his 30s.
Sources
“Gary Robinson.” Inmate Search, Ohio Department of Corrections. https://appgateway.drc.ohio.gov/OffenderSearch
Good, Meaghan. “Tammi Jean Campbell.” The Charley Project. https://charleyproject.org/case/tammi-jean-campbell
“Killer Sentenced, Though Body Never Found.” Columbus Dispatch, June 11, 2010. https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/2010/06/11/killer-sentenced-though-body-never/23683667007/
