COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — A 27-year-old Colorado Springs woman is facing multiple charges—including first-degree murder—after allegedly killing an Uber driver, leaving his body in a field in El Paso County, and driving off with his car.
Khayla Dawson was arrested Monday evening at a Colorado Springs apartment complex. She was taken into custody in connection with the early Monday-morning stabbing death of Uber driver Jeremy Campbell, 38, according to the El Paso County Sheriff's Office.
The victim's body was found in a field northeast of Black Forest in unincorporated El Paso County.
Arrest documents obtained Tuesday reveal that Dawson would claim Campbell attempted to sexually assault her before she allegedly stabbed him, following her scheduled Uber pickup late Sunday night.
The investigation began after a missing person report was filed with the sheriff's office early Monday morning. The victim's family reported Campbell missing and informed deputies that the 38-year-old man was paralyzed on his right side.
An El Paso County detective opened an investigation and found Campbell's vehicle on Polaris Point Loop near the Polaris Point apartment complex. When deputies searched the vehicle, they found multiple pools of blood and signs of a struggle, according to the documents.
While detectives searched near the vehicle, a woman from the apartment complex asked if they were looking for a phone and showed them where one lay on the ground, the affidavit said.
The documents said detectives found blood on the phone and saw missed calls from Campbell's family.
After obtaining a search warrant, a deputy was able to access the phone as well as Uber data from the night of Campbell's death.
Uber data showed Dawson was the last passenger. The trip started at 11:48 p.m. Sunday, and Dawson canceled it just before 3 a.m. Monday, the affidavit said.
GPS data showed the trip began at Polaris Point apartments. The drop-off was on Bent Spur Trail in unincorporated El Paso County. When the trip was canceled, the customer was at Polaris Point apartments, according to the affidavit.
After identifying the last passenger, deputies contacted Dawson. According to the affidavit, she told them she stabbed Campbell, drove through a fence, and left him in a field.
Dawson told deputies she had felt "cooped up" and initially said she wanted to visit a friend. She later changed her explanation, saying she wanted to go for a "joy ride," according to the documents.
According to the affidavit, Dawson told another detective she fell asleep during the Uber ride and awoke to Campbell allegedly reaching back to touch her. She said she pulled out a knife to protect herself and claimed Campbell also had a knife.
According to the documents, she told detectives she stabbed Campbell in the neck during the struggle. He then accelerated through a barbed wire fence into a field, where his body was found hours later, the affidavit said.
According to Dawson's affidavit, after the struggle, she removed Campbell from the car before driving it back to her apartment.
During a search of the suspect's home, detectives said they found Campbell's keys and wallet with his ID. They also noticed a knife was missing from the home's butcher block. That knife would match the knife found near Campbell's body, according to the documents.
Other evidence listed in the affidavit includes a blood-covered black Nike shoe found in a dumpster between Dawson's apartment and Campbell's vehicle. Another matching shoe was found near Campbell's body.
Dawson is being held without bond at the El Paso County Jail and faces the following charges: murder in the first degree, aggravated robbery, second-degree motor vehicle theft and tampering with physical evidence.
