Greeley – A man who tried to commit suicide last year by plowing his pickup into a car driven by a mother of two small children was sentenced Thursday to 35 years in prison.
Friends and family of 23-year-old Tamara Fuentes wept and called Matthew Kyle Campbell selfish and stupid for trying to end his life at the expense of a devoted mother who helped everyone she ever met.
“There are many ways a man can end his life without harming another, but he chose to take someone with him in a selfish moment of stupidity,” said Fuentes’ uncle, Manuel Valdez. “That reason alone is enough for me to despise Mr. Campbell.”
Weld County District Judge James E. Hartmann said he found little reason to hand Campbell the minimum sentence of 16 years for second-degree murder.
Campbell, 35, roared through two red lights on U.S. 85 on March 2 in his Ford F-350 pickup, trying to find someone to hit, according to police.
The judge said Campbell was “brazen enough” to call a friend on his cellphone to announce he was going to hit the 1992 Nissan Sentra, driven by Fuentes, near the U.S. 85 bypass and 16th Street.
After crushing her car, Campbell ran from the scene and was caught four hours later.
Campbell approached officers and pointed his wallet at them, hoping they would mistakenly believe he had a gun and then fatally shoot him, police said.
“Again, you were only thinking about yourself,” Hartmann said.
Campbell originally was charged with first-degree murder based on extreme indifference to human life. But in November, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.
Fuentes’ husband, Daniel Fuentes, said his two children – 5-year-old Daniel and 3-year-old Amara – will never forget their mother.
“She dreamed about what great futures her kids would have, about dancing with her son on his wedding day and her daughter graduating from school,” Daniel Fuentes said.
His wife was coming home from her son’s preschool after planning a Mother’s Day party when she was killed.
Tamara Fuentes had worked part-time at a Wal-Mart store but quit to spend more time with her children.
While growing up, she won a part in a local television commercial and at 14 held the title of Miss Teen Colorado, her family said.
“She was a very bright, beautiful human being,” said her mother, Peggy Stanley.
Campbell read from a yellow sheet of paper near the end of the sentencing hearing and apologized to the Fuentes family.
“I’ve made a terrible mistake,” Campbell said. “I am truly sorry.”
Campbell was a good provider for his 12-year-old daughter, whom he was raising by himself, his family said. But he had recently lost his job, which may have explained his suicide attempt.
“We just don’t know what led to this tragedy,” said Campbell’s brother, Bob. “This was just not him.”
Staff writer Monte Whaley can be reached at 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com.
