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Pro MMA fighter who shot fiancee ‘in cold blood’ learns fate

homesafetytechpros — Tue, 04 Feb 2025 06:22:44 +0000

Insets: Phillip Keller and Alicia “Red” Campitelli (Brevard County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The apartment where Phillip Keller killed Alicia Campitelli (WKMG/YouTube).

A mixed martial artist in Florida is heading to prison for murdering his fiancee while he was “super high on Molly” — telling an acquaintance, “I killed her, bro” — after gunning the woman down at their apartment while arguing over the MMA fighter’s drug use.

“I killed her high,” Phillip Keller told the acquaintance during a recorded phone conversation, according to Brevard County prosecutors and the local CBS affiliate WKMG. “I did it. I don’t know how I did it, but I can’t live with myself knowing that,” Keller said. “I’m a piece of s—.”

Keller, who was 39 when the killing unfolded, was sentenced Monday to 50 years behind bars for the 2021 shooting death of Alicia Campitelli, who was a popular piercing artist on Merritt Island known as “Red.” Keller accepted a plea deal during his sentencing hearing to reduce his charge to second-degree murder after originally being charged with first-degree murder in 2021, WKMG reports.

According to reports, Keller was a professional MMA fighter with a 2-6 record when the shooting occurred. He competed multiple times for Titan FC between August 2019 to September 2020, MMA Junkie reports.

Keller and Campitelli were reportedly arguing over his drug use when he gunned her down “in cold blood” while high on the drug known as Molly, according to police, which is a stimulant and hallucinogen also referred to as ecstasy or MDMA.

“Deputies responded to an apartment on Schoolhouse Lane at approximately 11:15 a.m. Saturday after a call was received advising that the resident, 35-year-old Alicia Campitelli of Merritt Island appeared to be deceased,” the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release. “Upon arrival, deputies located Campitelli inside the residence where she was pronounced deceased at the scene.”

Keller was the one who called the police and reported Campitelli’s death, but he didn’t reveal that he was the one behind it until later.
“I need help immediately, it looks like she’s dead,” Keller told a 911 dispatcher, according to WKMG. “Oh my God. It looks like she’s been shot and been robbed, my house has been robbed.”

Keller was taken into custody after the shooting and questioned by detectives, who were able to get a confession out of him. The pro fighter admitted to getting into an argument on May 14, 2021, with Campitelli about his drug use before he went to get a gun from their bedroom and shot her with it. Prosecutors said Monday that Keller loaded three bullets into the pistol’s magazine and then hid the weapon before eventually using it to kill Keller.

During his confession, Keller said Campitelli tried to duck down and crawl away as he fired once and missed her. “Oh God no,” Campitelli screamed, according to Keller, as he opened fire two more times and struck her. Keller said he used the woman’s car and debit card to make ATM withdrawals after her death — totaling $1,481.50 — so he could purchase more drugs.

“Our hearts are so broken every day,” Campitelli’s mother, Debra Moore, said at Monday’s sentencing, according to Florida Today. “We still hear her laugh at our family gatherings. It was not just the end of her life. It was the end of our family’s life.”

Under the terms of his plea deal, Keller will be eligible for parole after he serves at least 25 years of his sentence. Campitelli’s father, Phil Campitelli, blamed Keller’s addiction to drugs as one of the main reasons his daughter is dead today.

“Keller has no remorse,” Phil Campitelli said. “My daughter is dead because she tried to help Keller from himself.”

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Some taking California bar exam say Cow Palace venue was so cold it may have affected their test results

homesafetytechpros — Sun, 10 Mar 2024 19:45:13 +0000

Bar Exam

Some taking California bar exam say Cow Palace venue was so cold it may have affected their test results

By Debra Cassens Weiss

February 29, 2024, 10:02 am CST

“I was so cold in the morning I almost couldn’t type my fingers were so freezing,” wrote one test-taker on Reddit. (Image from Shutterstock)

The State Bar of California’s decision to consolidate some bar exam locations at the Cow Palace in Daly City, California, didn’t work out well for test-takers who say the place was so cold Tuesday that it affected their ability to function.

“I was so cold in the morning I almost couldn’t type my fingers were so freezing,” wrote one test-taker on Reddit.

Reuters and ABC7 News had stories on the complaints about the Cow Palace venue, which is typically used for livestock shows, sporting events and concerts.

Deborah Tharp told Reuters that she had muscle cramps from the cold temperatures.

“I could see my breath when I first arrived,” she said.

Brenden Bargmann, another test-taker, told ABC7 News that he was shivering, despite wearing flannel and a jacket. The conditions aren’t what you would expect in a professional environment, he said, never mind that this is the “most important test that we are ever going to take, [and] we are spending thousands of dollars.”

The State Bar of California voted in January to return to the Oakland Convention Center for the July 2024 exam, according to Reuters.

ABC7 News posted this statement from the State Bar of California on Wednesday: “State bar staff remain in constant communication with Cow Palace facility management, who are on alert to ensure that they can strike the right temperature balance. While yesterday started cold for some applicants at the Cow Palace, by the end of the day yesterday, some applicants found it too warm. On-site staff and facility management are working together to resolve these issues as quickly as possible.”

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Authorities say they solved 1985 cold case murder

homesafetytechpros — Sun, 14 Jan 2024 22:34:27 +0000

Annie Mae Ernest (pictured here) was murdered by Robert Richard Van Pelt, authorities said. Van Pelt later died by suicide. (Image: Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office)

Investigators in Jacksonville, Florida, said they solved a cold-case murder by finally tracking down the now-dead “person of interest” who skipped a lie-detector test, abandoned his apartment, and obscured his real identity with the use of aliases.

Authorities responded to an open area in the 1100 block of Market Street on Sept. 9, 1985. Annie Mae Ernest, 38, had been found murdered.

Homicide investigators found a person of interest named “Robert Vance.” He was thought to be one of the last people to have communicated with Ernest before she was murdered, they wrote.

“Detectives interviewed Vance, who freely admitted to socializing with the victim, but also stated he was not involved in her death,” they wrote. “At the time, Vance agreed to take a polygraph examination, however, he failed to show up at the agreed upon time the following day. Upon their attempts to locate Vance, detectives found his apartment abandoned and continued efforts were fruitless in locating him.”

Investigators determined “Robert Vance” was an alias for Robert Richard Van Pelt, but they could not find him, they said.

It was in 2008 that cold case detectives took another look at Ernest’s case and searched for Van Pelt.

“Efforts to locate the potential suspect were futile and the case continued in a Cold Case status,” they wrote.

In July 2023, one of Ernest’s relatives contacted cold case detectives seeking an update.

“Using modern technology and databases, along with current investigative techniques, detectives were able to determine Van Pelt had fled to Tampa immediately following the murder of Annie Mae, assuming a second alias, ‘John Leroy Harris,’” they wrote. “Research into Harris revealed an incident report written by the Tampa Police Department in 1988. The report indicated he had been involved in the shooting of a female victim in their jurisdiction. That victim survived the shooting, but Harris committed suicide following the incident.”

The sheriff’s office said they consulted with prosecutors. They added, “And that, if Van Pelt were alive today, he would be charged with the murder of Annie Mae Ernest. As such, in December of 2023, the case was Exceptionally Cleared — Death of Offender.”

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