Grand jury dismisses charges against Schenectady woman

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- On Monday, a grand jury handed a "No True Bill" to the Schenectady County Court, dismissing all charges pending against Gabrielle Beckwith concerning the death of Beyquan Campbell on July 18. Beckwith was facing charges of manslaughter after stabbing Beyquan in the leg, which led to his death, but claimed she had done so in self-defense.

Investigations by the District Attorney's Office were able to corroborate claims that Beckwith made regarding the incident. Those claims were:

1. Beckwith's relationship with Campbell had been volatile and violent. She had sustained injuries from Campbell, a claim corroborated by photographs and eyewitnesses.
2. On the day of the incident, Campbell destroyed Beckwith's cell phone, so she did not have access to a telephone. The claim was corroborated by eyewitnesses and physical evidence.
3. At the time of the stabbing, Beckwith was in her home with her three children. The claim was corroborated by eyewitnesses and other evidence.
4. Before he was stabbed, Campbell threatened Beckwith with a handgun and struck her in the head with the gun while she was holding an infant child. A loaded, privately assembled, semi-automatic pistol with no serial number was located in the home.
5. Beckwith believed she was in a life-or-death situation and stabbed Campbell once in the thigh with a knife from the kitchen. His femoral artery was severed, which caused him to bleed to death.

“Upon our review of the evidence in this case, we believed that Ms. Beckwith’s claim she was justified in using deadly physical force to defend herself and her children had merit," said Schenectady County District Attorney Robert M. Carney. "After hearing from all of the witnesses, the Grand Jury independently arrived at that conclusion."

"It is also clear from the facts that her intent was not to kill him but to protect herself and ward him off. Unfortunately for him, the one stab wound she inflicted on him in his leg proved to be lethal because of arterial bleeding.”