Shivangi Sinha
In April 1982, Scott Campbell informed his parents he was heading to North Dakota for a business meeting, but he never arrived. As days passed without any word from Scott, his family filed a missing person report, but the police found no leads. Taking matters into their own hands, the family began their investigation, discovering that Scott had taken a private plane and left his car at Fullerton Airport. In Netflix’s ‘Homicide: Los Angeles’ episode titled ‘Race Car Killer,’ Scott’s mother, Collene Campbell, recounts the harrowing experience of losing her son and the family’s relentless pursuit of justice.
Scott Campbell Went Missing In the Middle of a Flight
Scott Campbell was born to Collene and Gary Campbell in 1955 and spent much of his life in Anaheim, California. As their only son, he received abundant love and affection not only from his parents but also from his extended family. His uncle, Mickey Thompson, an auto racing legend, was a significant figure in Scott’s life and someone he admired deeply. Scott pursued a business career, and on the morning of April 17, 1982, he informed his parents that he would be taking a commercial flight to North Dakota for a business meeting. However, after that morning, he never contacted them again.
The parents informed the police and then went to the Fullerton Municipal Airport in California, where they made some inquiries. They soon discovered that Scott had rented a private plane from the airport and found his car parked there. Despite extensive searches, Scott’s body has never been found, and it is believed that he went missing in mid-air. The police immediately began investigating the people who knew about his plans, and the details became more apparent.
Scott Campbell’s Killer Admitted Guilt to Undercover Cops
The police did not have much to go on, but when Scott Campbell’s parents discovered that he had asked two people to lie about his renting a private plane, things became clearer. The police found out that Scott was not going to make a business transaction but was planning to sell a pound of cocaine in Fargo, North Dakota. To avoid detection by airport security, he had made different arrangements. However, his deal in Fargo was not legitimate, as the buyer was a federal narcotics informant named Greg Fox.
Fox told the police that he had called Scott the night before to recheck the plans, but no one picked up his call. The call was forwarded to another young man named Lawrence “Larry” Rayborn Cowell, who informed him that he would be flying with Scott the next day. Collene and Gary knew Cowell very well; he was the son of a family friend and had been close to Scott. The police immediately went to meet Cowell and found him in possession of a Pantera sports car, which he was in the middle of stripping and selling for parts. Mickey Thompson went to the scene and identified the car as Scott’s.
The police did not have much physical evidence, but their suspicions about Cowell grew. To gather more information, they decided to go undercover and befriend him. After several interactions, Cowell revealed that he knew what had happened to Scott. Detailing the events of that day, he said he lured Scott to the airplane under the pretense of completing his in-flight training. Another man, Donald P. DiMascio, an ex-convict, was also on the plane and was introduced to Scott as the flight instructor.
Cowell recounted how he and DiMascio had plotted Scott’s murder. DiMascio smashed Scott’s face before throwing him out of the plane. Laughing, Cowell added that they hoped the sharks had eaten him. The police believed that the motive of the murder was a robbery and charged both of them with murder. They were arrested in March 1983.
Lawrence Cowell is Being Held in Prison Till Today
Lawrence Cowell’s trial began in November 1985, and on December 5, he was found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and robbery. In his defense, Cowell claimed he was flying the plane and that his co-accused, Donald P. DiMascio, was the one who committed the murder. However, the prosecutors proved that Cowell had devised the plan, leading to his sentence of two concurrent terms of 25 years to life. Additionally, he received a six-year enhancement because he had already been convicted of the prior unrelated murder of Robert Ferguson and had killed Scott while out on bail.
In 1988, Cowell appealed his sentence, which was overturned due to the improper admission of evidence, leading to a new trial. On June 10, 1989, he was arrested again after driving a powerboat under the influence of alcohol and crashing into another boat. He was charged with assault with a deadly weapon and three counts of endangerment. In December 1989, a jury found him guilty on all counts. In January 1990, his original sentence of two concurrent 25-year terms plus a six-year enhancement was reinstated. Cowell’s parole has been repeatedly denied, and in January 2024, it was again rejected for another three years. The 75-year-old is currently held at the California Men’s Colony and is awaiting his subsequent parole hearing in 2027.
