PALMYRA, N.Y. — The man convicted of murdering two people when he was just 14 years old will be set free. Everyone’s first question was, “Why?” It was News10NBC’s first question, too.
RELATED: Decades after stabbing 15-year-old and baby, convicted killer Chad Campbell to be paroled
The Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) said the Board of Parole decided on the release after an interview with Campbell in November.
So News10NBC submitted a Freedom of Information Request (FOIL) for the transcript of that interview. We received the transcript on Friday.
The case
Campbell, now 50, was sentenced to nine years to life for the 1990 murders of his 15-year-old classmate Cindy Lewis and a 17-month-old Curtis Rizzo in Palmyra.
Campbell was convicted of raping Lewis and stabbing the two 50 times.
The interview
Commissioner Carlton Mitchell, Jose Gomerez, and Darlene Grant Bruce sat down with Campbell on November 12, 2025.
The interview includes Campbell’s recall of the day of the murders. He explained his initial anger came from a hospital visit with his mother.
“To gave the simple answer that I was angry at my mother, it doesn’t make sense. So, my mother was in the hospital that day and she had surgery. I wanted to go see her,” he said. He continued on, saying, “When I walked through the door the first thing she said was, ‘I don’t want you here.’”
He explained he took this as confirmation that his mother didn’t love him, and he disconnected instead of asking for help. That’s when he went home and asked Lewis to meet up with him.
But Campbell argued he isn’t the same person that committed the murders. He explained in the interview that he’s taken various anger management classes and has a mindset different from that of his 14-year-old self.
“We’re coming up on Thanksgiving and for 35 years those two families have had empty seats at their table, and I see that, and I fully understand that,” Campbell said in the interview. “And I know how precious life is and I’m sorry. I’m more sorry than I can put into words.”
His release is set for March 12, 2026.
Opposition to his release
The Wayne County District Attorney filed a letter of opposition against Campbell’s release. News10NBC reached out to get a copy, but hasn’t heard back.
Campbell addressed those who disagree with his release near the end of the interview:
“I know I have opposition to my release and I know that what I did was heinous, apprehensible and probably not forgivable, but I want to say from the bottom of my heart that I’m sorry. I want to tell {REDACTED} I’m sorry, their family, the {REDACTED} the community. I’ve hurt so many. That fourteen-year-old boy, that committed this crime, couldn’t handle his emotions. I’m fifty-years old, now, and I understand, and I have worked diligently to change. Part of being accountable is transformation and I have transformed myself and I fought tooth and nail to do it.”
Read the full transcript
You can read the full transcript given to News10NBC below. Some information has been redacted by DOCCS.
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