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West Jordan

» Reginald George Campos was found guilty Wednesday of shooting and wounding a fellow neighborhood watch advocate last year during a nighttime confrontation on a Bluffdale street.

Campos claimed he fired in self-defense at 37-year-old David Serbeck, who is now paralyzed from the waist down.

But after three hours of deliberation, a jury of five men and three woman rejected the self-defense claim and convicted Campos of first-degree felony attempted murder and two counts of third-degree felony aggravated assault.

The 44-year-old accountant faces three years to life in prison on the attempted murder charge when he is sentenced Sept. 2 by 3rd District Judge Mark Kouris.

"It's such a tragedy from all standpoints," defense attorney Rebecca Hyde told The Tribune. "There's a man in a wheelchair, and a man going to prison."

Serbeck said it was "very difficult being a middle-aged man and having everything taken away from you and being in a wheelchair." But, he added: "My heart goes out to [Campos'] family. We're still affected and so are they."

Campos showed no reaction upon hearing the verdict. He had been out on bail, but was immediately taken into custody.

"He's the greatest father anyone could ask for. I love him a lot," Campos' 20-year-old daughter, Paige Campos, told news reporters. "We'll get through this. We have a higher power looking over us. Trials make us better."

Conrad Campos, the defendant's brother, said he felt the verdict was wrong and still believes the shooting was self-defense. He said the family is looking toward mounting an appeal and freeing Campos "as soon as possible."

But Deputy Salt Lake County District Attorney Nathan Evershed said "justice was done."

Evershed said the verdict shows that a person can't "provoke such an act, be such an aggressor and plead self-defense."

Just after midnight on July 22, 2009, Campos spotted Serbeck's SUV, forced it to stop and jumped out waving a gun and screaming about someone following his daughter, according to Serbeck's testimony.

Earlier that night, Serbeck and Perry Farms subdivision homeowners association president Troy Peterson were patrolling the neighborhood in Serbeck's SUV when they followed what they believed was a suspicious vehicle, unaware it was driven by Campos' daughter, who was with three girlfriends.

The girls called Campos, who drove out and followed them home. He then told his daughter to go with him in search of the SUV, leading to the altercation.

Campos -- who did not take the witness stand -- had told police he fired after he heard Serbeck rack his pistol and saw him raise the weapon.

But Serbeck testified he tried to reason with Campos and that he had placed his gun on the ground and kicked it away when Campos began shooting.

Campos later told police he heard nothing Serbeck said prior to the shooting.

Evershed told jurors: "This case is about a man in a rage, a man on a hunt, a man pursuing -- and later finding -- his prey. It's about civilized society versus the man who takes the law into his own hands."

Evershed said Campos was acting as Serbeck's "self-appointed accuser and judge."

But defense attorney Rebecca Skordas said Campos was merely intent upon protecting his 16-year-old daughter, and that he acted as any "average, reasonable father" would have under the circumstances.

"The average man has those instincts to protect his young," Skordas said, "and that is especially true of a father with a daughter."

Evershed countered that Campos' daughter was "safe at home" after being followed by Serbeck's SUV, but then Campos "takes her closer to the 'villain' " by seeking Serbeck and initiating an armed confrontation.

Evershed said Campos was clearly the aggressor and that Serbeck -- had he chosen to fire his own gun -- would be the party entitled to claim self-defense.

Noting that Serbeck is an Army-trained sniper, Evershed added, "If Serbeck was raising that weapon, he wouldn't be the one in that wheelchair."

shunt@sltrib.com