A Carmel man, who served a two-decade sentence for a prior murder conviction and later worked at a drug rehabilitation center, has been convicted on several charges including Travel Act murder and narcotics offenses. Dwayne Pulliam, age 63, was found guilty following a trial that laid bare his grim return to criminal activties post-release, now including the murder of Lori Lynn Campbell, whom he suspected of stealing drugs.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York detailed the jury's decision. "In Carmel, New York, Dwayne Pulliam, a local drug dealer and employee of a drug rehabilitation center who had previously been convicted of and served over two decades for murder, killed one of his customers—Lori Lynn Campbell—whom he suspected of stealing crack cocaine from his business, and then drove her body to North Carolina, where he buried her in a shallow grave in the woods," said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. This conviction not only holds Pulliam accountable for Campbell’s murder but also addresses the larger issue of narcotics distribution in New York and Connecticut. The Attorney's statement added a call to action: "If any member of the public has information that they wish to share with us about any unsolved murder, then we encourage you to come forward."
The indictment and trial evidence painted a harrowing picture of Pulliam's activities after his 2020 parole. Beyond his employment at a rehab facility, he was engaged in the distribution of crack cocaine and heroin in multiple states. His criminal methods included using customers as workers, paying them in drugs, and exploiting them for sexual favors. Pulliam’s deepening entanglement in the drug trade culminated in the murder of Campbell, a crime to which he coerced one of his customers to assist by moving the victim's car and helping to transport the body for burial.
According to trial evidence, Pulliam turned violent when he discovered drugs missing while Campbell was at his apartment on March 28, 2022. He strangled her to death following a confrontation. Pulliam's driver, under threats and promises of drugs, became an unwitting accomplice in hiding Campbell's corpse, which Pulliam subsequently buried in a North Carolina forest—covered in plastic and sulfur powder. Despite his arrest, Pulliam continued to distribute narcotics until he was apprehended for these latest crimes.
Pulliam now faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for the Travel Act murder count, with additional counts for narcotics conspiracy and distribution adding potential decades more behind bars. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael D. Maimin and T. Josiah Pertz, along with paralegal specialists' support. Multiple law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, were commended for their collaborative efforts leading to Pulliam's conviction.
