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California man gets 11 years in death of roommate found in wall years after she disappeared

The body of Raven Campbell was found hidden in a wall in July 2015, six years after she was reported missing, officials said.

A Southern California man was sentenced to 11 years in prison Tuesday in the killing of a former roommate whose body was discovered hidden in a wall six years after she went missing, prosecutors said.

Randolph Garbutt
Randolph Garbutt.Los Angeles District Attorney

Randolph E. Garbutt, 47, of Los Angeles pleaded no contest last month to one count of felony voluntary manslaughter in the death of Raven Campbell, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said.

Her body was found in July 2015 behind a wall at a complex where they both lived, authorities said. Campbell had been reported missing in June 2009.

Campbell died of blunt-force trauma, and officials have said that Garbutt used a hammer to kill her. She was found in the residence in unincorporated Lomita, which is in the Los Angeles area.

An anonymous caller contacted Campbell’s family and said that the woman could be buried in a wall of a closet in the apartment complex, which led police to use cadaver dogs to find her body, NBC Los Angeles reported at the time.

Neighbors had complained about an odd odor for years, the station reported. Campbell’s body was found hidden in the wall of the same apartment where she lived.

CORRECTION (Oct. 9, 2019, 6:30 p.m.): An earlier version of this article misstated Garbutt’s plea in the case. He pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter, not guilty.