Ackerson receives 50 years in federal prison for death of Osage nation citizen

A man whose name regularly appears in police media reports was sentenced to 50 years in prison in federal court on Friday.

30-year-old Tre Ackerson of Webb City was sentenced to 600 months in prison in federal court after earlier pleading guilty to second degree murder last September.

Nine people, including Ackerson, faced charges in connection with the kidnapping and murder of 35-year-old Jolene Walker Campbell, an Osage nation citizen.

In the early morning hours of July 5, 2020, codefendant Breanna Sloan and Ackerson were driving around Joplin, Missouri. Ackerson spotted Campbell walking on the side of the road and stated, “that’s that bitch!” Ackerson told Sloan he had robbed Campbell just a few hours earlier, and Sloan asked whether he wanted to lure Campbell into the vehicle. Ackerson agreed.

Sloan drove past Campbell to let Ackerson hide in the woods. She then waited in the car for Campbell to reach her location and offered her a ride After Campbell got into the front passenger seat, Ackerson emerged from the woods armed with a gun, climbed into the rear seat, and told Sloan to drive.

Ackerson attempted to rob Campbell again, but she had nothing more for him to steal. Campbell suggested they go meet someone else she knew in Oklahoma City to obtain the money Ackerson wanted. During the drive from Missouri through Oklahoma, Campbell fell asleep. They stopped at a gas station in Tulsa before Sloan took a fateful detour into Mayes County, Oklahoma to go to another destination for supplies.

Before they reached the intended destination, Ackerson instructed Sloan to turn into a rural field and stop on a dead-end dirt road. Ackerson then got out of the car and opened the rear passenger door, causing a still-sleeping Campbell to partially fall out into the road. Ackerson then forced Campbell into the field and killed her.

The victim’s body was discovered on July 15, 2020, in the same Mayes County field where Ackerson killed her, within the boundaries of the Muscogee Nation reservation.

Ackerson admitted that he intentionally shot the victim multiple times, cut her throat, and hit her head several times with a tire jack until she died from the injuries.  He further admitted to conspiring with the other codefendants to obstruct, threaten, and tamper with witnesses that had information relating to the kidnapping and murder.

Eight other people charged in connection with the death have already been sentenced.