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Moms and Mysteries: A True Crime Podcast

MURDERED: James and Virginia Campbell

Moms and Mysteries: A True Crime Podcast

Not Your Mom Media

True Crime, Society & Culture

4.68.4K Ratings

🗓️ 20 May 2025

⏱️ 62 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

 When beloved Houston attorney James Campbell and his wife Virginia were found murdered in their bed, the crime stunned the city’s elite. There was no forced entry, no sign of a struggle—and no clear motive. But as police dug deeper into the family’s complicated dynamics, all signs pointed to someone close. What followed was a years-long investigation, a stunning undercover operation, and one of the most bizarre true crime stories to ever come out of Texas. This is the story of the Campbell family murders—and the woman who helped bring their killers to justice.



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Sources:

  1. https://casetext.com/case/ray-v-state-51?q=cynthia%20campbell%20ray&p=1&tab=keyword&jxs=&sort=relevance&type=case

  2. https://www.oxygen.com/snapped/crime-news/david-west-confesses-cynthia-ray-campbell-parents-murder 

  3. https://people.com/archive/rookie-private-eye-kim-paris-cozies-up-to-a-suspected-killer-and-gets-a-confession-on-tape-vol-23-no-24/

  4. https://apnews.com/article/b5ec69c275b56b9382fd387709f6caac

  5. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1985/02/26/true-confessions/718e2739-0997-4ac0-a551-d860a9f51b7f/

  6. https://www.newspapers.com/image/603491376/?article=283c6713-d622-4363-a4e7-3ba0e84a3f8b&focus=0.8358849,0.75154406,0.9562753,0.8914914&xid=3355&_ga=2.191343658.1408837698.1648003379-305025883.1640220698

  7. https://www.newspapers.com/image/5896431/?terms=james%20virginia%20campbell&match=1

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  18. https://www.newspapers.com/image/569471252/?terms=cynthia%20campbell%20ray&match=1

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  30. https://inmate.tdcj.texas.gov/InmateSearch/viewDetail.action?sid=03823868

  31. Custodial Death Report https://oagtx.force.com/cdr/VIPForm__VIP_FormWizardPDF?id=a2Ct0000003BbtMEAS&templateId=a2x5A000001M2UWQA0

  32. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1985/02/26/A-young-female-private-investigator-who-parlayed-a-marriage/8475478242000/

  33. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100064/

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  36. Oxygen’s Snapped Season 27, Episode 24 “Cindy Campbell Ray”

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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Houston's Memorial Neighborhood was known for its peaceful streets and upscale homes, not for murder.

0:06.0

But in the early hours of June 19, 1982, that reputation was shattered when two local pillars of the community, James and Virginia Campbell, were shot to death as they slept in their bed.

0:23.8

Hey guys, and welcome to the Moms and Mysteries podcast, a true crime podcast featuring myself,

0:29.5

Mandy and my dear friend Melissa.

0:31.1

Hi, Melissa.

0:32.6

Hi, Mandy.

0:33.1

How are you?

0:34.1

I'm hanging in there.

0:35.7

I'm counting down the days.

0:36.9

I know you are as well. School's almost over

0:39.2

down here in Florida. And yeah, I'm just hanging on by a thread this week. We've got one more

0:45.9

week to go. And we're home free. How are you feeling about summer being finally here? I'm thrilled

0:52.8

because there is something in saying like you two go play together

0:56.8

or like you two do something together that takes some guilt off of me because my son is being

1:02.0

homeschooled right now. So just having the two of them together, it's going to be fights,

1:05.1

but I can say go outside. Yes. Just do ride the bike, ride your bikes around. Right.

1:10.8

Do something, but like I don't have to be responsible for anyone's entertainment to a degree.

1:15.5

Yeah.

1:15.8

So I'm romanticizing this 100%.

1:18.4

But also we don't have to just like be in a rush in the mornings to go somewhere.

1:21.6

So let's just take that.

1:22.8

I'll take that one.

...

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