Dateline: The Feud - 5 harrowing details about Tim Newman's murder, explored

The Dateline episode titled The Feud tracks down a long-standing feud between two Montana neighbors, Joe Campbell and Tim Newman which ended in a fatal shooting in 2013. At first, it looked like a self-defense case, but since the investigators weren't convinced by what Campbell shared, they began the investigation.

Joe Campbell (67) was once on good terms with his neighbor Tim Newman (53) until he and his partner bought around 600 acres of land around the cabins in the area, including a historic public trail in 2000. It had been used by locals since the early 1900s to access the public forest, but soon after Campbell got the rights, he restricted public access.

His actions didn't sit well with many residents and Tim Newman, as they believed Campbell wrongfully restricted public access. As a result, the community was divided with many supporting Newman's resistance.

The feud between the two never ended, and on October 18, 2013, the two got involved in a shooting. The violence caused Tim Newman's death after being shot twice. Campbell admitted to shooting but insisted it was self-defense.

As the investigation began, Joe Campbell's lie came to light. The forensic reports contradicted his side of the story, resulting in legal consequences.

Continue reading to explore five startling details about the tragic case featured on Dateline.

Five harrowing details on Dateline's The Feud: A land dispute turned deadly

Joe Campbell bought the land (Image Source: NBC Dateline)

As mentioned above, the 2013 shooting between Tim Newman and Joe Campbell resulted in Newman's death. Campbell explained that Newman pulled out a gun first, forcing him to fire two shots: one into his back and another at Newman's hand.

Not only this, Joe Campbell even argued that the shooting was justified under Montana’s "Stand Your Ground" law, which allows people to take violent action if they feel their lives are in danger. So, was it really a self-defense case?

Surprisingly, no. While Campbell said he fired the shot when Newman threatened him first, forensic experts found that Newman was already turning away when the bullet was lodged in his spine. This suggested that he was fleeing rather than threatening Joe Campbell.

Here are five startling details about the deadly feud between Joe Campbell and Tim Newman:

1) Joe Campbell fired two shots at Tim Newman

Tim Newman was against Joe Campbell's actions (Image Source: Dateline)

Per Joe Campbell's initial claim, Tim Newman threatened him first. However, the forensic report didn't back his claim as it was found that the first shot at Newman injured his spine and was instantly paralyzed from the chest down.

This weakened his self-defense argument as Newman wouldn't have been an immediate threat after being severely injured. Despite Newman being critically wounded, Campbell chose to fire again. As shown in the Dateline episode, Campbell's actions suggested a chilling overkill case rather than self-defense.

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2) There were around 50 witnesses and hundreds of pieces of evidence

Another shocking detail about Tim Newman's murder featured on Dateline is the large number of witnesses and pieces of evidence. Per Great Fall Tribune, there were "more than 50 witnesses and 450 pieces of evidence" which likely contributed to a deadlock during a trial of the case.

Among the witnesses in the killing of Tim Newman were their neighbors, who described Campbell as a "bully", and per neighbor Dan Della Rossa (Via Oxygen):

"Joe was always rubbing everybody the wrong way. And saying things and doing things by actions that weren’t part of the community up there. That we were all used to."

Following Campbell's threats, Tim Newman also began keeping a gun in case his neighbor got angry and threatened his life.

3) Tim Newman's gun was found near his right hand—But he was left-handed

Tim Newman was left-handed (Image Source: NBC Dateline)

According to Joe Campbell, Tim Newman was the first to take out his weapon before the shooting. However, investigators found Newman's gun lying near his right hand—despite him being left-handed.

This raised suspicion about whether Newman had actually drawn his gun at all or Joe Campbell staged it to support his self-defense argument. Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton said:

"I don’t think Tim ever drew a gun. I think it was pulled out of the holster and placed by his right hand. I think it was staged after the fact."

Dutton also talked about the case with Dateline correspondent Keith Morrison and explained that they initially didn't arrest Joe Campbell as he stood by the claim of acting out of self-defense.

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4) Joe Campbell had previously threatened to kill Tim Newman

While opening up about Tim Newman and Joe Campbell's feud, neighbor Dan Della Rossa also mentioned the legal dispute. Newman had been cutting the locks on Joe Campbell’s gates to take the matter to the court and explain the problem.

However, just a few months before his death, all charges against Newman were dropped. Since Campbell didn't like it, he said:

"When Joe Campbell found out the charges were dropped, he became very irate, and made threats to people like, ‘The next time you see Tim, it’s gonna be in a body bag'. Those were his exact words."

Not only this but a contractor named LaMonte Moultray also said that Campbell threatened Tim Newman by saying "[Newman will] leave the mountain in a body bag". These chilling statements from the witnesses suggested Campbell's plan to eliminate his neighbor.

5) Joe Campbell avoided jail despite being guilty of the crime

Joe Campbell never denied the shooting (Image Source: NBC)

Yes, you read it right. Despite being found guilty of killing Tim Newman, Joe Campbell successfully avoided prison. Due to the large number of witnesses and the complexity surrounding the case, there was a deadlock during the trial.

However, prosecutors wanted to retry the case, but before that happened, Campbell had already taken a plea deal for negligent homicide. As explained in the Dateline episode, Campbell admitted to the punishment but not guilt and was given 20 years behind bars. But the sentence was eventually suspended.

Instead, he was sentenced to 20 years of probation, banned from the mountain for 20 years, was asked to sell the land, and restricted from owning firearms. The decision was heartbreaking for the Newman family as they hoped for a bigger punishment for Joe Campbell.