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.”
Advertisement
“ 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.
# # #
Release ID: 25-376
Media Contact: S.D. Goff
Categories: arrest , cold-case , homicide
For updates and link to press release, see here: http://www2.montgomerycountymd.gov/mcgportalapps/Press_Detail_Pol.aspx?Item_ID=47457
What a long time to solve a case like this , that’s great news that Police never closed the file to be able to finally bring the murderer to justice finally so many years later!!! Finally some closure for all the people affected in this case. Great job by all involved police investigators under Policy Chief Yamada!!!! Hopefully this will encourage investigators to never give up keeping files open and somewhat on the radar as much as possible with all the new cases coming in it seems to be a very difficult task to keep an eye on 30 year-old unsolved crimes. I’m happy to see Montgomery County Police doing much good work recently! Having met police chief Yamada, I’m not surprised to see a number for remarkable achievements since police chief Yamada was elected. It’s an inspiration for all police officers and very much needed for the general public to see so many great results even in cases as old as this 30 year cold case arrest, along with all the other cases that are getting solved by Police Chief Yamada team of Montgomery county police officers!
What a breath of fresh air for Montgomery County residence to see so much good change take place that will hopefully inspire more people choosing a career with Montgomery County police that will make all of us feel better about the status of law-enforcement, that was just about absent altogether especially Montgomery County where are the presence of police officers at dropped to the point where I rarely ever see about Montgomery County Police cruiser on the road anymore. I hope to read a lot more positive news as a result of the leadership by police chief Yamada that will hopefully restore the missing sense of law and order for the past five years, especially! I’m confident a lot of positive changes have come about in the morale of Montgomery County police officers since police chief Mark Yamada has been elected. I hope it will inspire people seeking a career in law-enforcement to join the Montgomery County police department to make a difference that will be felt appreciated by all of Recovery‘s residents! Having met police chief Yamada several times over the last 30 years I was thrilled to see he was elected to be the police chief Montgomery County and I do we would see much positive changes come from his leadership, as he struck me as a particularly great officer! I was thrilled to learn he was selected to be the police chief For Montgomery County police department!! What a great choice for leadership of the Montgomery County Police Department, that has already made a huge difference and I’m sure will continue to lift the morale of current ado officers working for my Montgomery County police! Really great and very positive news for all of us here but Montgomery County!!!!