A federal jury has found Dwayne Pulliam, a resident of Carmel, New York, guilty of Travel Act murder and narcotics offenses. The verdict was delivered after a one-week trial before U.S. District Judge Philip M. Halpern.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton commented on the outcome: “In Carmel, New York, Dwayne Pulliam, a local drug dealer and employee of a drug rehabilitation center who had previously been convicted of and served over two decades for murder, killed one of his customers—Lori Lynn Campbell—whom he suspected of stealing crack cocaine from his business, and then drove her body to North Carolina, where he buried her in a shallow grave in the woods. With its verdict, the jury has held Pulliam responsible for Campbell’s murder, as well as for the harm that he sowed in both New York and Connecticut with his shameless dealing of crack and heroin. This should serve as a lesson: if you commit a crime—if you commit a murder—law enforcement will pursue you relentlessly, and the career prosecutors of this Office and our law enforcement partners are committed to investigating and prosecuting these righteous cases. If any member of the public has information that they wish to share with us about any unsolved murder, then we encourage you to come forward.”
Court documents show that Pulliam had an extensive criminal record dating back to 1981 with convictions for breaking and entering, larceny, assault on a female in North Carolina; assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill in 1985; possession of firearm by felon and trafficking cocaine in 1988; assault on a female and hit-and-run in 1992; and intentional murder in New York in 1999. He was released on lifetime parole on December 1, 2020.
After leaving prison, Pulliam worked at a drug rehabilitation facility while distributing crack cocaine in New York and Connecticut. He paid some customers with drugs or used them as workers.
On March 28, 2022, Lori Lynn Campbell visited Pulliam’s apartment where he suspected her of theft. After confronting her when some crack cocaine went missing during what he described as a “test,” Pulliam strangled Campbell when she tried to leave. He later enlisted another customer’s help—using threats against their family—to move Campbell’s body first within New York before transporting it to North Carolina where it was buried.
Pulliam continued selling drugs until his arrest.
He now faces up to life imprisonment for Travel Act murder and narcotics conspiracy charges; there is also a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years related to narcotics conspiracy.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the investigation alongside support from several law enforcement agencies including Putnam County Sheriff’s Office (New York), Danbury Police Department (Connecticut), Connecticut State Police, Alamance County Sheriff’s Office (North Carolina), and Caswell County Police Department (North Carolina).
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael D. Maimin and T. Josiah Pertz from the White Plains Division.
