Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that Tenia Campbell, 28, of Medford, was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison after pleading guilty in December 2023 to two counts of Murder in the First Degree, after suffocating her twin two-year-old daughters to death in June 2019.
“These two young lives were cut short by the one person who was supposed to love and protect them,” said District Attorney Tierney. “Although the 20-year sentence here resolves this sad case, it will not bring back these girls.”
According to court documents and the defendant’s admission during her plea allocution, on June 27, 2019, at approximately 2:37 p.m., Campbell’s mother called 911 to report that Campbell was driving around in the family van and was threatening to kill her daughters, Jaida and Jasmine. Law enforcement launched a large-scale search for Campbell and her daughters between the areas of Medford and Montauk. At approximately 4:00 p.m., an East Hampton Police Officer spotted the van just off Montauk Highway, a few miles west of Montauk Point.
When the officer approached, she saw Campbell outside of the van. The officer walked over to the van and saw Campbell’s two-year old twin daughters dead in their car seats. Campbell later admitted to smothering the girls to death.
On December 13, 2023, Campbell pleaded guilty before Supreme Court Justice, the Honorable Richard Ambro, to two counts of Murder in the First Degree, a Class A violent felony.
On January 29, 2024, Justice Ambro sentenced Campbell to 20 years to life in prison. She was represented by John Halverson, Esq.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Frank Schroeder of the Homicide Bureau, with investigative assistance from Detective Ron Tavares of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Homicide Squad.
Criminal complaints and indictments are merely accusatory instruments. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. No one is above the law.