Trial Ordered for Suspect in Three Murders

A man accused of killing an 18-year-old El Cajon woman who died after being struck in the head with a rock was ordered Wednesday to stand trial on murder charges.

Wardell Monroe Campbell also will stand trial on charges of attempted murder and robbery for allegedly stabbing a man in Logan Heights on Aug. 10, 1991.

Campbell, 19, is a suspect in another murder the same day as the Logan Heights attack.

Monica Chapa, who had recently moved to El Cajon reportedly to escape gang violence in Riverside County, was killed late at night on July 4 after she, her brother and a friend exited a trolley in Southeast San Diego so she could use a restroom.

The victim’s friend, Carlos Guevara, testified that Wardell and three accomplices approached them as they exited the trolley at the 32nd Street station.

“He yelled out and said she was a whore,” Guevara told the court.

As Campbell and Guevara exchanged profanities and other harsh words, Campbell picked up two rocks, Guevara testified. Campbell, who is black, yelled at the trio that they were “Mexican, and didn’t belong here,” Guevara said.

Campbell then allegedly threw a rock that hit Chapa’s face, causing her to fall to the ground. Chapa died while she was being taken to the hospital after the attack.

Campbell, who is being held on $1 million bail, will be arraigned in Superior Court on Nov. 4, when a trial date will be set.