Hudson Valley Drug Dealer 'Doc' Strangled Customer To Death, Buried Her In Shallow Grave In North Carolina

CARMEL, NY — A federal jury has convicted a Hudson Valley drug dealer of the cold-blooded killing of a customer who he believed stole drugs from him.

The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced that after a weeklong trial, a jury found 63-year-old Dwayne Pulliam, of Carmel, guilty of Travel Act murder, for his participation in a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute crack cocaine and heroin, and the distribution and possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine and heroin.

He faces life in prison for the Travel Act murder count, 10 years to life in prison for the narcotics conspiracy count, and up to 20 years in prison for the narcotics count.

"In Carmel, New York, Dwayne Pulliam, a local drug dealer and employee of a drug rehabilitation center who had previously been convicted of and served over two decades for murder, killed one of his customers — Lori Lynn Campbell — whom he suspected of stealing crack cocaine from his business, and then drove her body to North Carolina, where he buried her in a shallow grave in the woods," Clayton said. "With its verdict, the jury has held Pulliam responsible for Campbell's murder, as well as for the harm that he sowed in both New York and Connecticut with his shameless dealing of crack and heroin. This should serve as a lesson: if you commit a crime — if you commit a murder — law enforcement will pursue you relentlessly, and the career prosecutors of this Office and our law enforcement partners are committed to investigating and prosecuting these righteous cases. If any member of the public has information that they wish to share with us about any unsolved murder, then we encourage you to come forward."

According to court documents, Pulliam has a long criminal history. His past offenses in the Tar Heel State include convictions in 1981 for breaking and entering and larceny and assault on a woman, in 1985 for assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, in 1988 for possession of a firearm by a felon and trafficking cocaine, and in 1992 for assault on a woman and a hit-and-run. In New York, he was convicted in 1999 for intentional murder, for which he was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison and released to lifetime parole on Dec. 1, 2020.

After his release from prison, Pulliam, also known as "Doc," got a job at a drug rehabilitation facility in Carmel. He also began distributing crack cocaine in New York and Connecticut, for both money and sexual favors. In addition, he would use his customers as workers, paying them in drugs.

See Also:

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• How Putnam's 3-Week Probe Led To Federal Charges Against Parolee

On March 28, 2022, Lori Lynn Campbell, one of Pulliam's customers, was at his Carmel apartment. Pulliam suspected that Campbell had been stealing crack from him and "tested" her by leaving a small amount of crack cocaine in a room with her. When Pulliam returned, the crack was gone, and he confronted Campbell. When she tried to leave and to scream, Pulliam strangled Campbell to death. Pulliam later told one of his customers/workers that he "stopped her from screaming."

Pulliam picked up one of his customers/workers, who often drove Pulliam in return for drugs, and had the driver move Campbell's car. Pulliam then brought the driver back to his apartment and showed the driver Campbell's body, saying "there's the culprit." Pulliam convinced the driver with the promise of more drugs, and threatened the driver's family, until the driver helped him move Campbell's body.

When Pulliam put Campbell's body in the trunk of his car, he used enough force to break one of her vertebrae. Pulliam and the driver then headed to North Carolina, where Pulliam wrapped Campbell's body in a plastic sheet, covered it with sulfur powder, and buried it in a shallow grave. After Pulliam and his driver returned to New York and Connecticut, Pulliam continued selling drugs until he was arrested.

Clayton praised the work of the FBI and the Putnam County Sheriff's Office. He also thanked the Danbury Police Department, the Connecticut State Police, the Alamance County, North Carolina Sheriff's Office, and the Caswell County, North Carolina Police Department.

The case is being handled by the Office's White Plains Division.