Published: March 04, 2006 09:14 am      

GUILTY AGAIN

Former state trooper David Camm faces life in prison for the murders of his wife and daughters; an appeal is expected from the defense

BOONVILLE — More than five years of intense emotion erupted in a Warrick County courtroom late Friday, where former Indiana State Police Trooper David Camm was found guilty — for a second time — of murdering his wife and young children.

“Oh God, get me out of here, get me out of this room,” Julia Hogue, Camm’s sister, cried out while shaking and holding her 74-year-old father tight.

“Keep your cool baby,” Don Camm told her, himself in tears.

“No, get them out of here ... I don’t want them over there celebrating. They can celebrate somewhere else,” she said as the family of murder victim Kim Renn Camm embraced each other and congratulated prosecutors.

Defense attorney Katharine “Kitty” Liell tried to calm the family, assuring them, “Dave is fine. He has not lost hope, we’re not going to either.”

On the other side of the courtroom, Kim’s sister, Debbie Karem, cried tears of joy, while her husband Greg said, “I saw a smile on the faces (of Kim’s parents Frank and Janice Renn) for the first time tonight. It was not a smile of victory, it was a smile of closure.”

The jury convicted David Camm of the murders of Kim Camm, 36, and their two children, 7-year-old Brad and 5-year-old Jill, in the garage of their Georgetown home on Sept. 28, 2000.

Frank Renn said while awaiting the verdict he noticed Camm had the same emotionless look on his face as his co-defendant Charles Boney did when he was convicted on the same charges last month.

“He’s a sociopath just like Boney was,” he said.

The decision — which means Camm could be sentenced to life without parole — was reached about 9 p.m. EST, following four days of deliberations. The jury will return at 10 a.m. Monday to consider the life without parole sentence.

Liell said she — like most defense attorneys — has been writing her appeal throughout the trial in case the verdict wasn’t in Camm’s favor.

She said she has four grounds for appeal — the exclusion of evidence of Charles Boney’s foot fetish and of his taped statement to police; the prosecution’s argument that molestation of Jill Camm was the motive; and the striking women from the jury during the selection process, which Liell deemed improper.

Debbie Karem wasn’t ready to think about an appeal, saying, “I just want to hold on to this day.”

Floyd County Prosecutor Keith Henderson said he didn’t believe there were grounds for an appeal at a press conference following the verdict.

“It was a very clean trial. Judge (Robert) Aylsworth was conservative in his rulings,” he said.

Henderson will be back in the courtroom Monday to present evidence of aggravating circumstances to the jury, which he must do in order for life without parole to be considered.

“It shouldn’t be difficult. There were children involved, there were multiple victims,” he said.

If Henderson fails to convince the jury, then the jury can choose to leave sentencing to Judge Aylsworth. Camm faces a minimum of 45 years in prison, and a maximum of the rest of his natural life.

Immediately after the verdict was read, Greg Karem said, “We just feel bad for the other family. There’s two families here tonight. We knew one would win, and one wouldn’t.”

Nearly 5 1/2 years after the murders, he said, “It’s closure, but it doesn’t bring them back.”

A Floyd County jury found Camm guilty in 2002, but a state appeals court reversed that decision on the basis that the testimony about his womanizing was so inflammatory the jury was prejudiced. The second trial was moved to Warrick County to ensure a fair trial following extensive media coverage in and around New Albany.

The biggest difference between the two trials was this time, there was a second suspect in the murders.

In February 2005, a sweatshirt found at the scene was linked to an ex-felon named Charles “Backbone” Boney, who was released from jail three months before the slayings.

Prosecutors assert Boney provided Camm with the gun that killed his family and was present during the murders, but that Camm was the shooter. Camm’s defense team maintains he didn’t know Boney, who they believe may have

followed Kimberly home and attacked her because he has a violent foot fetish.

Boney was convicted of conspiracy and three counts of murder in a separate trial in Floyd Circuit Court last month. He was sentenced to 225 years in prison, after his jury left the sentencing to Judge Terrence Cody.

Afterward, one juror reported being upset with Boney’s sentencing saying the jury expected the judge to sentence him to life.