Former Merrimack Woman Guilty of Killing Friend

Twenty-three-year-old Molly Martel attempted to force back tears Wednesday morning as the jury in her murder trial one-by-one shared their finding of her guilt on two second-degree murder charges.

She willingly gave her hands to a court officer for handcuffing moments after the jury foreman read the first of two guilty verdicts.

Her attorney Chuck Keefe grimaced as the foreman read the word “guilty,” Martel's lips pressed tightly together forming a small frown, tears running down her cheeks. Before leaving the courtroom, she gave a tearful glance at her grandparents and her mother who sat behind her defense table throughout the trial.

Martel, a former Merrimack resident and high school softball standout, was charged a year ago with two counts of second-degree murder for recklessly and knowingly causing the death of Stephanie Campbell, a young mother of three from Manchester who was at one time one of Martel's closest friends.

Martel's attorneys argued she'd acted in self defense, that Campbell came at her with the knife and she suffered the wounds as Martel attempted to spare herself from being stabbed. A jury did not agree with that assessment and Martel will spend the next couple months at the Hillsborough County House of Corrections in Manchester, awaiting sentencing. Judge Gillian Abramson said it will be 60 to 90 days before a sentencing hearing can be scheduled.

The jury came to its conclusion on the seventh day of Martel's trial, after about two and a half hours of deliberation on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning.

Following the verdict, Campbell's friend David Summa, who sat in at the trial “every day from start to finish,” said he thought Assistant Attorney General Peter Hinckley “did an outstanding job with the case.”

“I feel like I can breathe better now,” said Summa, 26, adding that he had moments early on in the trial where he thought “it didn't seem like it would go in Steph's favor.”

He called Campbell “a really good person and a really good friend.”

Following the verdict, Assistant Attorney General Michael Lewis said the prosecution was “gratified” by the verdict.

“As in every case it rested on the testimony of witnesses, forensics, the physical evidence in the case, and all of that together in addition to the cross examination of the witnesses that were called by the defense resulted in a very strong case for us,” Lewis said.

“I think the jury's verdict reflects the fact that the Manchester Police Department conducted an investigation that was of the highest quality and resulted in the just verdict in the case.”

Martel's attorneys declined to comment. “No, we never comment. Thanks,” attorney Eric Wilson said when asked.

Wilson only added that it was too early to determine whether the defense would appeal the verdict.

As the story was told during the trial, on the night of Nov. 2, Martel and Campbell engaged in an argument at Campbell's 28 Dutton St. apartment, where Campbell accused Martel of sleeping with her “babies' daddy,” Tony Santos. Santos, the father of two of Campbell's three children, then threatened to tell Martel's boyfriend she was cheating on him.

After initially leaving the neighborhood and returning home, Martel returned to Dutton Street later with a friend, a convicted felon named Gerald Turner, and Martel and Campbell's argument continued, becoming physical.

Martel, who several witnesses testified frequently carried a folding knife in a small Gucci bag in her purse, used a knife, presumably that one, as a weapon in the fight. Campbell was reportedly unarmed.

Martel dealt four blows to Campbell with the knife, the fatal blow to Campbell's chest where the knife pierced her heart and lung.

Martel then fled the scene with Turner, and Turner allegedly tossed the knife from the window of the car while the pair was traveling down I-293. It was never recovered. He later stabbed Martel with a similar knife purchased from Walmart, to make it look as though she'd been injured in the fight.

The day after the incident, Martel left the state and was arrested on Nov. 4 in Kerhonkson, N.Y., staying at a motel under an assumed name.

Lewis said Monday the prosecution hoped the outcome provided Campbell's family some closure.

“Of course the family of someone who has been murdered can never get any full measure of relief from that but a verdict like this, I think, provides some comfort and that's what we hoped to do,” Lewis said.

Campbell's mother and sister, who sat through the trial and were ushered out of the courtroom following the verdict, were not ready to make a statement at this time, one of the court's victim advocates said following the verdict. They intend to talk to the public following sentencing.

Martel could potentially face up to life in prison, but sentencing requests have not been made.