COURT HOUSE –– A Schenectady, N.Y. man serving time in state prison for killing a Lower Township teenager in July 2001 lost a recent appeal and will have to serve the remainder of his sentence.

Joseph Campon, 24, was convicted in June 2005 on manslaughter, hindering apprehension and weapons charges associated with the stabbing death of Christopher Loftus, 19, of North Cape May. Campon was 17 at the time of the slaying.

Loftus, Campon and several others engaged in a fight on the corner of Howard Street and Stockton Avenue in Cape May after an earlier altercation that began at an arcade on the Beach Avenue Promenade.

Campon used a folding-blade knife to repeatedly stab Loftus in the torso, including once in the heart killing him. Campon, who claimed self-defense, maintains that Loftus was armed with a wine bottle.

It was the first homicide in the Victorian resort since 1964.

Originally charged with first-degree murder, Campon’s initial trial ended in November 2003 with a hung jury that could not reach a verdict after long deliberations.

He was retried on the lesser manslaughter charge, convicted and sentenced to a four-year prison term by Superior Court Judge Raymond Batten in June 2005.

Campon’s attorneys submitted a six-point appeal to the court this year on Feb. 6 that was decided by the Appellate Division on April 28. In his appeal, Campon argued that Batten erred on several counts, the jury’s verdict was against the weight of credible evidence and the sentence imposed was excessive.

The appeals court rejected Campon’s arguments affirming the trial court decision.

“We are pleased with the outcome,” said Deputy Attorney General Mary McAnally who represented the state in the appeal. “The court found that the defendant received a fair trial and affirmed the decision in a thorough 30-page opinion.”

According to the state Department of Corrections, Campon’s release and parole eligibility dates are July 4, 2008. He is currently in custody at the Mountainview Youth Correctional Facility in Annandale, Hunterdon County.

When asked why the appeal came now with only a few months left in Campon’s sentence, Assistant Public Defender Dale Jones told the Herald the appeal process in New Jersey takes approximately 18 months.

“In homicide cases, because the record is generally larger, it can take even longer gathering the transcripts for an appeal,” he said.

Somerville attorney William Welaj, who represented Campon in the appeal, could not be reached April 30 for comment.

Contact Hart at (609) 886-8600 Ext 35 or at: jhart@cmcherald.com