Houston man sentenced to 40 years for murdering ex-girlfriend then fleeing to North Carolina

Houston - A Houston man was sentenced to 40 years in prison for killing his ex-girlfriend and then fleeing to his mother’s home in North Carolina.

Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced that 34-year-old Corey Lewis Campbell was convicted of murdering 33-year-old Darlene Solis in her apartment on April 28, 2020. Jurors convicted him of murder after a two-week trial.

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"We stand with the family and mourn for this vibrant young woman who was cut down in her prime for absolutely no reason," Ogg said. "Far too often, domestic violence leads to gun violence, and it is just senseless."

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Campbell moved to Houston from North Carolina in 2016 to work in construction. The two had dated on and off for about three years as Campbell worked construction jobs across the country.

He had recently finished a job in Utah when he moved in with Solis temporarily while he decided on his next move.

Solis was dating another man but wanted to help out her ex-boyfriend.

While they were alone in her apartment on West Little York Road, Campbell shot Solis four times, killing her. He left the .40-caliber pistol that was used under the bed and drove to North Carolina, where his mother lived. When he reached that state, he left the car in a Walmart parking lot and had his mother pick him up.

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In Houston, Solis had not been heard from for two days.

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Solis' mother, who had been married to a deputy with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, asked her ex-husband to check on Solis. He was on patrol at the time and went into her apartment with his body camera turned on. He found his step-daughter’s body and called the police.

He testified in the two-week trial, and his body-cam footage was used as evidence.

Houston Police Department Detectives interviewed a witness that spoke with Campbell in North Carolina. That witness knew details about the case that were not public, including where the murder weapon was in the apartment and the gun’s caliber and brand.

Campbell was arrested and waived extradition. He was then brought back to Houston to face trial.

Campbell will have to serve at least half (20 years) of the sentence before he is eligible for parole.

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Assistant District Attorney Ryan McLearen, a chief in the DA’s Domestic Violence Division, prosecuted the case with ADA Stepheny De Silva.

"This was the woman he claimed that he loved, but he killed her in cold blood and then ran off," McLearen said. "He took a daughter, he took a sister, he took an aunt, and the jury handed down the right sentence."

McLearen noted that Solis had a large extended family, many of whom were in the courtroom every day of the trial.

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After the sentencing, jurors heard a victim impact statement from Solis’ mother, who sat through the entire trial. They also heard a letter from one of Solis’ brothers, who attended two weeks of trial but had to return to his job in the Army.