Jury convicts Ethan Campbell of attempted murder in 2024 Fort Collins apartment attack

A jury on Friday found Ethan William Campbell guilty of attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault and first-degree burglary in the May 2024 beating of a woman in her Fort Collins apartment, after six hours of deliberation.

Sentencing is set for Jan. 20, 2027, at 1:30 p.m. in Courtroom 4B. For attempted first-degree murder, a class two felony, Campbell faces 16 to 48 years in the Department of Corrections, five years of parole and a fine of up to $1,000,000.

For first-degree assault causing serious bodily injury with a deadly weapon, a class three felony, he faces 10 to 32 years in the Department of Corrections, five years of parole and a fine of up to $750,000.

On May 4, 2024, Fort Collins Police responded to an apartment complex in midtown Fort Collins after callers reported hearing a woman screaming. While police were on their way, a woman called 911 and reported that a masked male had broken into her apartment and beaten her with a stick.

Officers found the victim with serious injuries and took her to Medical Center of the Rockies, where she was able to recount the attack. She said a male entered her apartment, beat her and said she had done something wrong while demanding that she confess. The male had fled by the time officers arrived after the victim played dead.

A tip pointed to Campbell, who lived in the same apartment complex. He was 17 at the time and became the prime suspect.

A search of Campbell's home found a baton with the victim's DNA on it and a mask similar to the victim's description. He was arrested in February 2025.

The district attorney's office said it charged Campbell in adult court because of the severity of the violence. The office said the juvenile justice system is not sufficient for crimes this serious to hold defendants appropriately accountable, recognize harm to victims and protect the community.

Campbell requested a reverse transfer hearing, which would allow him to be tried in juvenile court. After a week-long evidentiary hearing, the judge denied the defense motion to transfer the case, following the office's argument that it should remain in adult court.

The trial began Nov. 2 and was led by Deputy District Attorney Callan Riedel and Chief Deputy District Attorney Brian Hardouin. The district attorney's office said its team presented 40 witnesses and nearly 100 pieces of evidence over two weeks of trial. It said the evidence included the mask Campbell wore during the attack and the baton that nearly took the victim's life.

District Attorney Gordon McLaughlin said the severity of the case cannot be understated. "This crime was senseless and unimaginably brutal," he said.