WARNING: Some details of violent crime may be disturbing to some readers. Discretion is advised.
(EL PASO COUNTY, Colo.) — An arrest affidavit details the events that allegedly led up to the death of an Uber driver before his body was left in a field in northern El Paso County in the early morning hours of Monday, Oct. 27.
According to the documents, 27-year-old Khayla Dawson ordered an Uber to her apartment complex, the Polaris Junction Apartments just south of Ford Amphitheater, shortly after 11 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 26. Dawson would later tell law enforcement that she was feeling “cooped up” and “wanted to go for a joy ride.” The Uber driver who accepted the ride, 38-year-old Jeremy Campbell, arrived at Dawson’s complex around 11:45 p.m.
When no one had heard from Campbell for several hours, his family contacted law enforcement around 3:45 a.m. and reported him missing. They told dispatchers that Campbell was an Uber driver, but said it was odd for him to be out of contact for so long, and so late into the evening. They also told dispatchers that Campbell is paralyzed on his right side.
Around 5 a.m., Campbell’s father informed investigators that he was able to get a location on his son’s car, provided by Campbell’s out-of-state girlfriend from his Snapchat map. The location showed the car was at the apartment complex in Polaris Point.
Around 5:30 a.m., the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) located the car in the parking lot of the apartment complex, with “a significant amount of blood” both inside and outside of the car, but Campbell was nowhere to be found.
A responding deputy with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office (EPSO) reported that there was blood spatter in the front passenger window, on the front passenger seat, on the dashboard, the center console, the driver’s seat, and the steering wheel. There was also a pool of blood on the ground outside the front driver’s side door. On the front passenger seat was a ball cap with a hole in it.
Investigators also noted there appeared to be front-end damage to the car, which Campbell’s family said was not there when he left for work Sunday night. A resident of the apartment complex reported to deputies on scene that there was a cell phone in the stairwell of the building closest to the car, and deputies found the phone with blood on the corner of it. The phone showed missed calls from Campbell’s family.
After sending an emergency request for ride data from Uber, investigators received the information around 9 a.m. on Monday morning. Uber data showed a trip was ordered after 11 p.m. with an intended destination off Eastonville Road in northern El Paso County. The data showed passenger Khayla Dawson was picked up just after 11:45 p.m., but the ride was later canceled by Dawson shortly before 3 a.m. Monday.
As of 9 a.m. Monday, Dawson’s location still showed as the Polaris Junction Apartments.
Around 9:15 a.m., law enforcement contacted Dawson at her apartment. Dawson told officers that Campbell took her to a location off Eastonville Road to visit a friend, though the story about visiting a friend later changed, the affidavit states. Dawson alleged that she fell asleep in the back of the Uber, and said she awoke to Campbell reaching back to touch her, at which point she pulled a knife and stabbed him in the neck. Dawson said she left Campbell in the middle of a field and took his car back to her apartment complex.
Dawson’s story later changed, and she alleged that Campbell had tried to sexually assault her, so she defended herself.
A search of Dawson’s apartment revealed Campbell’s car keys hidden in a box of dryer sheets in the laundry room, as well as his wallet containing his ID and multiple credit cards hidden in a lunch box on top of a kitchen cabinet. Also in the kitchen was a butcher block with a single knife missing.
Around 11 a.m. on Monday, investigators found Campbell’s body in the middle of a field east of the intersection of Hogden and Eastonville Roads. A bloody butcher’s knife that matched the block in Dawson’s kitchen was found near the body. Investigators said Campbell had multiple apparent stab wounds.
Investigators then received more detailed information from Uber pursuant to a court order. The data showed that Dawson had ordered the Uber and then been picked up around 11:45 p.m., but her phone did not track any additional data until she was back at her apartment at 3 a.m. on Monday. The affidavit states that this indicates Dawson either turned her phone off, placed it in airplane mode, or shut down the Uber app.
The data from Campbell’s phone showed him driving to a location near Eastonville Road via Highway 83 and Hodgen Road around 12:15 a.m., and instead of turning on Eastonville, the vehicle continued straight over Eastonville, through a barbed wire fence, and into the middle of a field. The car remained there until 1:45 a.m. as Campbell’s phone moved around the field and along Eastonville. The phone then takes the same route back to the Polaris Junction Apartments and arrives at 2:15 a.m.
After being evaluated at a hospital, Dawson was taken into custody on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated robbery, motor vehicle theft, and tampering with physical evidence.
According to the affidavit, investigators believe Dawson got in the Uber with the intent to kill Campbell, given that she took a knife with her and intentionally turned off her phone’s location services. The affidavit states these actions indicate “pre-planning of an act of violent nature.”
Due to the “extreme violence” of Dawson’s actions, the affidavit recommends she be held with no bond. She is due in El Paso County Court on Nov. 6.
FOX21 News reached out to Uber for a statement, here is what the company sent:
“We’re saddened by this devastating loss, and our condolences go out to the driver’s family during this incredibly difficult time. We have been in contact with law enforcement and are supporting their investigation in any way we can.”