The Campbell brothers was an American criminal duo that were active in Boston, Massachusetts for several decades during the mid-20th century.
In the early 1980s, authorities claimed that Alvin Campbell was the, "leading black organized crime figure in New England".
[5] Per statements made by Alvin Campbell and others in his 1958 and 1969 criminal trials, he had been a strong student and he had been granted a four-year scholarship to Princeton University in 1951, which was later revoked.
Alvin's daughter, Andrea, has shared that while (before his death) he refused to elaborate the reason why he failed to enroll, she later learned independently that his opportunity of attending was derailed when he was arrested for the first time at the age of 17.
The initial appeal centered upon the argument that the Jencks Act had not been followed when Judge McCarthy refused to require the state to enforce a request for production made by the men's defense counsel for the production of Federal Bureau of Investigation reports that would have shown that a key witness to the crime had, in his original statement to authorities, only reported seeing two robbers instead of three.
[2] Roger G. Connor argued the federal government's case before the Supreme Court for upholding the conviction.
[16][17] Shortly after they completed their 5-year prison sentences, the Campbell brothers again found themselves facing serious criminal charges, this time for murder.
[17] In 1969, when Alvin was 35 years old and Arnold was 33, the Campbell brothers faced trial alongside Dennis W. Chandler for the triple-murder of Guido St. Laurent, Carnell Eaton, and Harold King as well as on further charges of assault with intent to murder Ronald Hicks and Frederick B.
They were all shot to death on November 13, 1968 at the organization's headquarters office on Blue Hill Avenue in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood.
[5][21][22] Both of Campbell brothers had been working as salaried employees at the Boston operation of the New York City-based firm Woolman Systems.
Alleged accomplice Dennis W. Chandler worked as the night watchman at the automotive training center.
[5] Investigators had first been directed to the three charged men after Ronald Hicks, a pimp who was one of the survivors of the fatal shooting incident, had named the Campbell brothers and Chandler as likely culprits and assigned the aforementioned motive as the reason for this belief.
[19] It is believed that Johnny Martorano perpetrated this murder and had done so in order to prevent Hicks from testifying against the Campbell brothers.
Additionally, the wives of each Campbell brothers and the girlfriend of Chandler corroborated alibis that they had been with their respective partners the night that the murders occurred.
[19] By the time the 1970s came along, Alvin Campbell was regarded as possibly aspiring to ascend to the very top of Boston's organized crime hierarchy.
"[6] However, in 1970, Alvin Campbell and Dennis W. Chandler were both given 20-year federal prison sentences for conspiracy and selling cocaine.
[1] This ultimately led to another criminal conviction that would land him behind bars until his twin younger children were eight-years-old.
[30] At the time, authorities claimed that Alvin Campbell was the, "leading black organized crime figure in New England".
His wife, Roberta, died in a car crash while traveling to visit Campbell at the correctional institution.
[8] At one point, Campbell was incarcerated at Leavenworth Prison at the same time as fellow Boston organized crime leader Whitey Bulger.
[28] Andre Campbell died at the age of 29 after suffering from scleroderma while in state custody awaiting trial.
[34][36] Most recently, his eldest son, Alvin Jr., in March 2020, was indicted on charges accusing him of serial rape.