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| Deadly Dispatch inspired by actual events |
Deadly Dispatch, TV One’s latest true-story movie, might take inspiration from the Beatrice Camper and Terry Lee Camper taxi-cab murder case in Peekskill, New York. The characters’ names in Deadly Dispatch have been changed. In the real story, John Murray, 60, shot and killed popular taxi-cab owner and driver Terrence “Terry” Lee Camper, 53, as part of a plot to collect life-insurance proceeds. Terry Camper’s wife, Beatrice Camper, was the mastermind behind the murder and was having an affair with the ex-convict.
Deadly Dispatch movie
Well-liked business owner Shawn is found dead in his taxi, and police think it’s a robbery gone wrong. But his childhood best friend, Tiffany, believes he was murdered, and she has her eyes on Shawn’s wife, a greedy salon owner with a deadly secret.
The True Story
In October 2012, a mail carrier happened upon a scene on Pine Street. The body of a large Black man was found slumped over in his taxi. Everyone knew him. It was Terry Lee Camper. Upon closer inspection, police discovered that he had been shot twice in the back of the head, CBS reported.
Unlike in the movie, police only entertained the idea of a robbery gone wrong for a short time. They quickly focused on other possibilities after finding Terry’s wallet. His cell phone was missing. Terry was transported to Hudson Valley Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 3:05 p.m.
A lover of people, Terry Camper came from a good family and worked hard for everything he had. He always wanted to work for himself, so he eventually owned a taxi company and later worked independently as a taxi driver. When he’d ride around town, everyone noticed. He was a large man with a smile that would melt anyone’s heart. The quiet, tight-knit community where the body was found sat on the banks of the Hudson River. But no one saw who shot Terry.
Backing up a bit, Terry Camper had a way with the ladies. His size didn’t matter. With his charm, he could really pull them in. But when he met Beatrice, a cute and light-skinned single mother, he knew she could be his one and only. He eventually asked her to marry him.
They say Beatrice took to Terry right away. And since she had met him on his route as a taxi driver, there was no way she was going to let some other woman snag him. For a while, in the early stages of their relationship, she sat right there in the front seat as he transported his fares.
One thing about Terry Camper: he was husband material, a provider. He worked hard to take care of Beatrice Camper’s kids, whom he treated like his own. And Beatrice treated him like her Black king. Everyone envied them. Now, police needed to figure out the story behind this tragic love gone wrong. Who killed him? And why? They had little evidence.
Terry Lee Camper’s best friend, Ruth Smith, offered police some information. She often accompanied Terry to pick up his fares. Beatrice Camper didn’t seem to mind since the relationship was strictly platonic. Ruth said Terry had received a call from a number he did not recognize. The caller asked Terry to pick him up at 118 Pine Street and take him to Hampton Oaks Apartments.
Police traced the call to a Boost Mobile phone listed under the name Carlos Antonio. But a woman on Terry Lee Camper’s phone records gave them a promising clue when she revealed that the number belonged to a guy in Newburgh, New York, named John Murray. This was quite a lead, and the case became even more intriguing when police checked his background.
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| Police file photos Terry Camper: middle with Beatrice Camper and John Murray |
Court records indicate John Murray had served more than 30 years in prison for two previous murders. He was released in November 2011 and was on parole at the time of Terry Camper’s killing. John Murray told police he ran errands and came home. But surveillance cameras told a different story.
John Murray was captured on camera driving his red Dodge Neon across the Bear Mountain Bridge around the time the murder took place. The vehicle was seen heading toward Orange County around 2 p.m. And there was something more chilling. The prison phone records showed that one of John Murray’s contacts was none other than Beatrice Camper.
As it turned out, Beatrice Camper was having an affair with John Murray, a relationship that had begun while he was still in prison. Detectives also found love letters between John and Beatrice. The lovers had plotted to murder Terry and collect the proceeds from life-insurance policies.
Terry Lee Camper’s family was more than devastated upon hearing the news. Beatrice Camper eventually pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and agreed to testify against Murray. John Murray was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Beatrice Camper was sentenced to 15 years to life.
I originally researched and wrote this article on July 27, 2019, and it reflects the facts as reported at that time. The real case was featured in the TV documentary series Fatal Attraction, Season 3, Episode 21, “Metered Murder.”
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