NEWPORT BEACH : Defendant Tells Alibi in Slaying Retrial

Lawrence R. Cowell, convicted four years ago for the murder of his boyhood friend, testified in his retrial Wednesday that he could not have killed Scott Campbell because he was in San Diego arranging a drug deal at the time of the victim’s disappearance.

Taking the witness stand for the first time in the 7 1/2-year-old case, Cowell told the Superior Court jury that he flew to Palomar Airport in San Diego County to get two ounces of marijuana from a friend on the morning that prosecutors say Campbell was strangled to death and thrown from an airplane 2,000 feet over the ocean a mile off Santa Catalina Island.

It was the first time that Cowell’s alibi had been revealed in court. To support Cowell’s testimony, defense attorney Gerald J. Reopelle called a surprise witness, Russell Sharman of Oceanside, to the stand.

Sharman testified that several years ago he grew and distributed marijuana to friends, one of whom was Cowell. He said Cowell piloted rental planes into Palomar on several occasions to pick up drugs. Sharman, who said he worked in construction at the time, added that he distinctly remembers giving Cowell marijuana on April 17, 1982, because his boss’s wife died the next day.

Cowell, 41, was convicted four years ago and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for the murder of Campbell. But two years ago, the 4th District Court of Appeal ruled that Cowell’s confession of the crime to undercover agents had been coerced and overturned the conviction.

Cowell’s testimony marked the end of the defense’s case. Final arguments are scheduled to begin Monday, but Deputy Dist. Atty. Thomas M. Goethals held out the possibility that DiMascio might agree to testify against Cowell--and his testimony could land a crucial blow to the defense’s case.

During testimony Wednesday, Cowell said he lied when he confessed to killing Campbell because he felt the undercover officer, who was posing as an organized-crime figure, was threatening him.

“I figured I had better come up with some kind of story,” Cowell said, adding he felt that “he could possibly kill me or cause harm to me or my family.”

Cowell said he did not come forward with his alibi in the first trial because he didn’t want to get in trouble for having marijuana and he didn’t want to get Sharman in trouble for growing it.