Ex-student accused of murder returns to court
Sammy Zenner-Becerra
Posted on: 3/4/10 Section: News
Former PCC student Isaac Campbell was ordered to return to an Alhambra Superior Court on March 19 for a pretrial hearing. Campbell is being charged with murder in the death of former PCC student Liya "Jessie" Lu in August 2007.
The new pretrial date comes after Public Defender Jim Duffy filed a motion to dismiss the case. The motion was filed on the premise that there was a lack of evidence at a preliminary hearing on Feb. 19 to hold the defendant to answer the prosecution's allegations.
Alhambra Deputy District Attorney Steve Ipson will give the prosecution's response to the motion at the pretrial hearing.
"One of the issues that were dealing with is the lack of a cause of death," said Ipson in an interview.
On April 22, 2009, Judge Alice Hill concluded that Isaac Campbell would be tried on the charge of murder. This decision was made on the basis that the circumstantial evidence was sufficient for the case. Hill denied a motion to dismiss at that hearing.
Lu was reported missing on Aug. 11, 2007 after having last been seen at Campbell's apartment. Her body was found at the Arcadia residence of Michael Darby, who was acquainted with Campbell.
In September 2007, Lu's body was found wrapped in plastic and buried under cat litter in a blue recycling bin. The container was found in Darby's garage wrapped in black tarp and taped shut.
Lu graduated from PCC with an Associate's of Arts degree in the spring of 2006. Lu had recently reapplied to the nursing program at PCC at the time she went missing. Both Campbell and Lu were nursing students.
According to Campbell's father, Maceo Campbell, his son and Lu were dating for several years.
Campbell is being held at a detention center in Castaic with a bail set at $1.2 million.
The new pretrial date comes after Public Defender Jim Duffy filed a motion to dismiss the case. The motion was filed on the premise that there was a lack of evidence at a preliminary hearing on Feb. 19 to hold the defendant to answer the prosecution's allegations.
Alhambra Deputy District Attorney Steve Ipson will give the prosecution's response to the motion at the pretrial hearing.
"One of the issues that were dealing with is the lack of a cause of death," said Ipson in an interview.
On April 22, 2009, Judge Alice Hill concluded that Isaac Campbell would be tried on the charge of murder. This decision was made on the basis that the circumstantial evidence was sufficient for the case. Hill denied a motion to dismiss at that hearing.
Lu was reported missing on Aug. 11, 2007 after having last been seen at Campbell's apartment. Her body was found at the Arcadia residence of Michael Darby, who was acquainted with Campbell.
In September 2007, Lu's body was found wrapped in plastic and buried under cat litter in a blue recycling bin. The container was found in Darby's garage wrapped in black tarp and taped shut.
Lu graduated from PCC with an Associate's of Arts degree in the spring of 2006. Lu had recently reapplied to the nursing program at PCC at the time she went missing. Both Campbell and Lu were nursing students.
According to Campbell's father, Maceo Campbell, his son and Lu were dating for several years.
Campbell is being held at a detention center in Castaic with a bail set at $1.2 million.
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