Life without parole for man who killed Granville County couple

OXFORD, North Carolina (WTVD) -- A jury recommended life in prison without the possibility of parole at the trial of a man convicted of killing a Granville County couple with his father Wednesday.

Last month, the same jury found 23-year-old Eric Campbell guilty of first-degree murder and other charges.

Prosecutors say Campbell and his father Edward murdered Jerome and Dora Faulkner in the Oak Hill area on New Year's Eve 2014 and tortured their dogs in a robbery. Their bodies were lumped into a stolen SUV by the two intruders. The father and son were caught the next day in West Virginia.

During sentencing, Superior Court Judge Henry Hight told Campbell - who is from Texas - that if he'd committed the crime there he would likely have been tried and executed.

Eric Campbell did not dispute his involvement in the killings during the trial, but his defense team argued his father was so abusive - so devastatingly intimidating and controlling - that his son had no choice but to go along.

"He's struggling with the verdict, but he's keeping his head up, because he has the confidence of someone who knows he's innocent," said defense attorney William Durham.

Ed Campbell killed himself in Raleigh Central prison, so the only account of what happened on that day has been Eric's testimony.