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A witness in the trial of former PCC student Isaac Campbell on Thursday described Campbell’s final days before he fled to Minnesota in 2007, and painted him as a drug dealer who had enthusiasm for mixed martial arts.

Campbell is charged in the August 2007 slaying of his girlfriend Liya “Jessie” Lu, a PCC graduate, and attempting to hide her body in a trash bag filled with kitty litter. Campbell’s  friend, Michael Darby, discovered her body in a blue trash can in after Campbell asked him to store the trash can at his house.

Witness David Gibson introduced himself  Thursday as a “very close and personal friend to Isaac Campbell.” The two had met in 2001 with Gibson initially being Campbell’s regular marijuana customer.

“We became very close friends,” Gibson said of their relationship. “As I bought marijuana, I would talk to him and he would open up to me.”

The two would later become close friends, hanging out and working out at the gym together. According to Gibson, the relationship was strong from 2003 until August of 2007.

Gibson, an attorney in Alhambra, mentioned Campbell’s interest in mixed martial arts –  a subject of particular interest especially in Campbell’s apartment where they would watch knockout videos.

“They were mostly about fighting,” Gibson recalled. “He liked mixed martial arts. He even practiced submissions, takedowns, and strikes.”

Campbell’s house, according to Gibson, had a lot of equipment for sparring. Campbell would also have a few sparring partners come by to have controlled practices in the car port outside his apartment.

When prosecuting attorney Steve Ipsen asked about the various submissions that Campbell had taught Gibson, he went into detail about the rear naked choke.

Gibson told the court that Campbell described it as “a good way to stop someone.”

“You can squeeze their neck, cut off their blood flow,” Gibson said as he demonstrated the hold, “and make them pass out.”

Gibson also revealed that Lu, Campbell, himself, and his girlfriend had hung out  previously and also that Gibson continued to purchase marijuana during their relationship.

His last purchase from Campbell, however, immediately signaled troubled, Gibson said.

The routine normally involved Gibson driving to Campbell’s apartment to pick up marijuana. On Aug. 14, however, the situation was reversed.

“He told me, ‘no, I’ll come to your house,'” Gibson said. “And that is exactly what happened. This was the first time this had happened.”

When Campbell arrived, Gibson testified that Campbell appeared to be trembling with a frightened look on his face.

“We talked for about 10 minutes,” Gibson said as he described their conversation. “He told me that he was going to move in with [Lu] and that he was going to surprise her by buying a truck.”

Campbell’s claim did not make any sense to Gibson as he recalled Campbell saying they were having problems.

“Liya had read e-mails and found out that he had been e-mailing another female,” Gibson said.

Campbell later contacted Gibson on Aug. 17, 2007, days after Lu’s disappearance.

“He told me his girlfriend had gone missing,” Gibson said. “He asked me if I knew of her whereabouts.”

Gibson agreed to help Campbell find Lu and drove to her newly rented apartment. There, Gibson found Lu’s leased BMW. The car, however, was cold, indicating that Lu had not just arrived from somewhere.

Campbell would call Gibson one last time, but this time with police at his apartment. Campbell was eventually allowed to leave and drove with Gibson to PCC. Gibson described Campbell’s farewell.

“He said, ‘Dave, my life is over,'” Gibson said. “I said, ‘what? What do you mean?'”

“‘They always blame the boyfriend,'” Campbell replied, according to Gibson.

Public Defender James Duffy challenged Gibson’s testimony, citing his inconsistencies on numerous questions and his habit of having to refer back to documents in order to refresh his memory.

Duffy asked whether Gibson has continued to smoke marijuana; “I detested marijuana because I associated it with [Campbell], but yes, I have smoked since then,” Gibson replied.

“And that hasn’t affected your memory at all?” asked Duffy, bringing both jury and audience to a stunned gasp.

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