Alvin Campbell Jr., the brother of Andrea Joy Campbell, went on trial Monday over allegations he posed as a rideshare driver to sexually assault women across Boston.
Prosecutors allege Campbell Jr. spent years approaching women leaving bars and restaurants late at night, falsely identifying himself as an Uber or Lyft driver before assaulting them inside his vehicle. The 45-year-old has been held without bail since his 2020 arrest and now faces a jury after years of pretrial proceedings.
Court records accuse Campbell Jr. of targeting nine women between 2017 and 2019. Prosecutors say one alleged victim was driven from Boston to Campbell Jr.’s apartment in Cumberland, Rhode Island, where she says she was assaulted. Campbell Jr. denies the allegations and maintains the encounters were consensual.
Jurors are expected to hear competing accounts over whether the encounters reflected a repeated pattern of predatory conduct or a series of consensual interactions later reported as crimes. Prosecutors will likely rely heavily on similarities between the allegations, including the claimed use of fake rideshare pickups, late-night targeting and assaults allegedly carried out inside a vehicle.
Defense lawyers are expected to challenge witness credibility, timelines and identification evidence while arguing prosecutors are attempting to combine unrelated allegations into a single narrative capable of influencing the jury emotionally rather than proving individual criminal acts beyond a reasonable doubt.
Multiple-accuser sexual assault prosecutions often become heavily dependent on consistency across witness testimony, digital evidence and behavioral similarities presented during trial.
Cases involving alleged rideshare impersonation can also create disputes surrounding surveillance footage, phone records, ride-history evidence and the accuracy of victim identification after late-night encounters.
Public attention surrounding the proceedings has intensified because of Campbell Jr.’s connection to Andrea Joy Campbell, one of Massachusetts’ most prominent elected officials.
The attorney general addressed the case briefly, saying: “I am praying for the survivors and all those affected. It takes extraordinary courage to come forward, and they deserve dignity and respect.”
Opening statements are scheduled to begin Monday after a 17-person jury was selected last week. The trial is expected to continue for several weeks.