Florida pro-MMA fighter who murdered fiancée in cold blood learns his fate

Florida pro-MMA fighter Philip Keller will spend 50 years in prison for murdering his girlfriend, Alicia “Red” Campitelli. Keller was sentenced on Feb. 3 in Viera, FL., about 50 miles east of Orlando, after he agreed to plead guilty in a deal approved Monday.

According to ClickOrlando, Keller, now 43, has addiction issues, and on the day Campitelli died in 2021, Keller admitted the couple had argued about his drug use. At one point, Keller said he retrieved Campitelli’s gun and fired at her three times, hitting her twice and killing her. Keller then disposed of the gun and used Campitelli’s car and debit card to purchase more drugs, spending nearly $1,500 of Campitelli’s money.

Keller called 911

Afterward, Keller called the police and reported Campitelli, who was 35 when she died, was not breathing and unconscious and “seemed dead.” Keller told police there had been a robbery while he wasn’t there and that he hadn’t seen Campitelli, a popular piercer in Merrit Island, FL, in Brevard County, where she lived, since around midnight the night before. Records, however, revealed that Keller called Campitelli’s family before he called the police and said she broke her phone.

During the investigation, Keller’s friend also agreed to have their phone conversations with Keller recorded. In them, Keller said, “I killed her, bro,” and said he did so while high on Molly, or MDMA, a powerful illegal stimulant and hallucinogen, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Also in one conversation, he explained he missed her the first time, but hit her the second and third time he fired the gun.  “I don’t know how I did it, but I can’t live with myself knowing that,” Keller told his friend. “I’m a piece of s***,” he said.

Further evidence included neighbors reporting gunshots around 1 am, and about the same time, surveillance footage showed Keller withdrawing money from Campitelli’s accounts. Keller was arrested a few days later after he jumped into a nearby creek while fleeing from the police.

Keller and Campitelli were engaged

According to USA Today‘s MMA Junkie, Campitelli and Keller were engaged to be married when the murder happened, and according to a GoFundMe established after her death, she was in substance abuse recovery. “Red was proudly over 5 years sober and she was an advocate for recovery. She was well loved in the community but she inspired many people outside of the Space Coast as well,” the Campitelli family GoFundMe said.

Keller was initially charged with first-degree murder, but in a plea deal, he agreed to plead guilty to second-degree murder charges. As part of the deal, in 25 years, Keller could get time off for good behavior or be eligible for parole. When he was arrested, Keller had a 2-6 record as an MMA fighter and competed three times for Titan FC in 2019 and 2020.

“Our hearts are so broken every day,” Campitelli’s mother, Debra Moore said at Keller’s sentencing, according to Florida Today. Moore added, “We still hear her laugh at our family gatherings. It was not just the end of her life. It was the end of our family’s life.”

“I can still hear her cries. I can feel her terror,” Campitelli’s twin sister, Alana May Marshall-Campitelli, added in court. “Keller did not just end one life, but he destroyed so many others as well,” Marshall-Campitelli said.