OREGON CITY — A woman implicated in a murder plot has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge, and she’s expected to testify against a former police officer accused of hatching the plot to kill his wife after she had second thoughts about his sex change.
Susan Campbell pleaded guilty to attempted aggravated murder on Friday. She was initially charged with aggravated murder and could have faced the death penalty.
Campbell is expected to testify against Lynn Edward Benton, a former Gladstone police officer who underwent a female-to-male sex change operation. Authorities said he married Deborah Higbee Benton and later plotted her killing.
Campbell’s son, 32-year-old Jason Jaynes, pleaded not guilty on Friday to attempted aggravated murder and conspiracy charges related to Higbee Benton’s killing.
