Charles Rodman Campbell was born on October 21, 1954. He had a troubled childhood marked by instability and difficulties at home. Campbell often moved between different homes and had a strained relationship with his family. Both of his parents were heavy drinkers, and Campbell grew up in a household plagued by domestic abuse. He frequently witnessed his father assault his mother. He struggled in school and frequently got into trouble, showing signs of behavioral issues from a young age.

As he grew older, Campbell's problems escalated. He had several run-ins with the law, starting with minor offenses that gradually became more serious. On 29 October 1970, shortly after his 16th birthday, his father reported him to police for stealing the family car. Less than a year later, Campbell’s mother reported him as a runaway, stating that she had “given up hope” for him. That same week, he burglarized his grandparents’ home, stealing several firearms to fund a trip to California. He was arrested and subsequently incarcerated at Green Hill School in Chehalis, Washington, between 1971 and 1972.

After his release from juvenile detention, Campbell’s behavior continued to deteriorate. In August 1973, he married, but the relationship quickly turned abusive. He subjected his wife to regular physical violence and threatened to kill members of her family and their dog. In March 1974, their daughter was born, but Campbell’s volatile behavior persisted. In one particularly disturbing incident, he threw a butcher knife at his three-month-old daughter out of anger at her crying. The couple divorced five months later, and Campbell’s ex-wife was granted custody.

In December 11, 1974, Charles Rodman Campbell attacked 23-year-old Renae Wicklund while she was doing yard work outside her home in Clearview, Washington. He threatened her with a knife and forced her to perform sexual acts by threatening to harm her infant daughter. After the assault, Wicklund reported the crime to the police, but Campbell was not caught until 1976 when she identified him in a police lineup.

At his trial, Wicklund and her neighbor testified against Campbell, leading to his conviction for first-degree rape. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison, but his sentences ran concurrently, allowing him to be paroled in 1981. Wicklund and her family were not informed of his release.

On April 14, 1982, Campbell brutally murdered Renae Wicklund, her nine-year-old daughter Shannah, and neighbor Barbara Hendrickson. Their bodies were discovered with their throats cut. Campbell was quickly linked to the crime through forensic evidence, including fingerprints and stolen jewelry found in his possession.

Campbell was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and second-degree theft. He was convicted of three counts of murder on November 26, 1982 and sentenced to death less than a month later. Campbell's trial was marked by his lack of remorse and disturbing details of the crime. Despite multiple appeals, his sentence was upheld. On 27 May 1994, Charles Rodman Campbell was executed by hanging at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla.