Buffalo man charged in Tonawanda killing
Town of Tonawanda police have charged a Buffalo man with the Aug. 14 homicide on Henderson Avenue.
Police identified the suspect as Michael A. Campanella, 21, of Colvin Avenue. He was arrested Tuesday on a charge of second-degree murder in the death of Thomas J. Newton, 32, of Henderson Avenue.
Following arraignment before Town Justice J. Mark Gruber, Campanella was sent to the Erie County Holding Center without bail. Additional charges are expected after the case is presented to a grand jury.
At a news conference this morning, police praised the public for providing information that helped lead to Campanella's arrest.
"Quite often, this type of case cannot be solved without the cooperation of the public," said Lt. Nicholas Bado, a department spokesman.
But police released little additional information about the case, other than to say that Campanella and Newton didn't know each other.
"There are many details ... to keep private until the case has been sent to trial," Bado said.
Newton was shot at about 8:45 p.m. Aug. 14 in front of his home on Henderson, between Military Road and Wilbur Avenue.
Newton's girlfriend and her daughter were inside the white duplex at the time of the shooting. Neither is believed to have been involved in the incident.
In response to a reporter's question, Bado acknowledged that the suspect has the same last name as a town police detective. There was a relationship years ago between the detective and the suspect's mother, Bado said, but there's no biological or other ongoing connection between the detective and suspect.
Newton's murder was the first of two fatal shootings on successive nights in the town. On Aug. 15, Michael A. Santiago, 25, of Burns Street, was found dead in the street around the corner from his family's home in the Sheridan Parkside area.
Police maintained today that the two cases aren't connected.
"Absolutely not," Bado said. "Totally separate incidents; nothing connecting the two."
Like the Newton case, Bado is confident public cooperation could go a long way in solving Santiago's killing, as well.
"There are people in the Santiago case -- somebody knows something," Bado said.
mbeebe@buffnews.com and jhabuda@buffnews.com
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