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Laurel Man Arrested in 1995 Cold Case Homicide of D.C. Police Officer

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, August 6, 2025

Gaithersburg, MD - A Laurel man is in custody, nearly 30 years after a D.C. Metropolitan Police officer was found shot to death in the White Oak apartment they shared.

62-year-old Amir Jalil Ali was arrested on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, by Montgomery County Task Force Officers assigned to the US Marshals Fugitive Task Force in Laurel, MD.

He is charged in connection with the 1995 death of 24-year-old Denna Fredericka Campbell.

Detectives from the Major Crimes Division – Homicide and Cold Case Sections have continued to investigate the case since Campbell was found dead in the 1500 block of Heather Hollow Circle on Saturday, September 16, 1995. Campbell had been shot five times.

At the time of her death, Campbell was a four-year veteran of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, assigned to the 7th District. Campbell’s department-issued handgun was missing from the apartment and has not been located.

Ali, who went by the name Kenneth Burnell Wonsom in 1995, told police he had left the apartment after 3 a.m. to go to the store and returned to find Campbell unresponsive. He called 9-1-1 at approximately 5:04 a.m., reporting that a burglary had occurred and his girlfriend had been shot.

Wonsom was initially charged in the case in 1995, but the charges were dropped two months later. He legally changed his name to Amir Jalil Ali in 2021.

As the investigation continued, detectives re-examined evidence and reviewed details from the original case files. A warrant for Ali’s arrest was obtained on Sunday, August 3, 2025.

“Our detectives showed true grit and determination, never giving up as they continued to re-examine evidence and follow leads as they emerged,” said Chief Marc Yamada of the Montgomery County Department of Police. “This arrest represents significant progress in a long-standing investigation, and we hope that it brings some measure of closure to Officer Campbell’s family, friends, and fellow officers who have waited three decades for justice.”

This arrest is a powerful reminder that Officer Campbell’s life and service have not been forgotten, and it speaks volume to the dedication and persistence of the investigators working this case,” said MPD Chief of Police Pamela A. Smith. “My thoughts and prayers are with Officer Campbell’s family and friends, and I hope today’s news can provide healing.”

Amir Jalil Ali is currently being held at the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit pending a bond hearing.


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Release ID: 25-376
Media Contact: S.D. Goff 
Categories: arrest , cold-case , homicide