WEED, N.M. — A man on the run for more than four decades is behind bars after federal and county law enforcement agencies arrested him in Weed, New Mexico last week.

Stephen Campbell was wanted by U.S. Marshals for attempted murder after allegedly making a bomb and planting it at his estranged wife’s boyfriend’s house in Wyoming in 1982. She was severely injured in the explosion.

He was released on bond and disappeared. Court documents show he was living a double life for more than 40 years, assuming the identity of Walter Coffman — a former engineering classmate.

“We knew they went to school together, but they might have been even closer than that,” Special Agent in Charge of FBI Albuquerque Office Raul Bujanda said. “They might have been friends.”

Bujanda said a red flag went up for social security agents in 2019 when Campbell visited an MVD in Cloudcroft to renew his license under Coffman’s name.

Court records show he submitted his New Mexico driver’s license with his photo, but the name and birthdate of Coffman. He also provided a social security card with Coffman’s name and social security number, and a passport with his photo identifying him as Coffman.

But agents knew Coffman died in a motorcycle accident in 1975 and suspected someone was fraudulently using his identity. His obituary includes his photo.

After living as Coffman for decades, Campbell’s web of lies began to untangle. Agent Bujanda said Campbell had even received around $170,000 in social security benefits.

“The one thing we had since he was constantly renewing his passport and providing his new photo of what he looked like today, but always providing his current address made it easy for us to locate him through facial recognition and that photograph was able to tell us who he really was,” Bujanda said.

Last week an FBI SWAT team, social security agents, and Otero County deputies executed a search warrant on Campbell’s rural 44-acre property. Bujanda said Campbell was outside when they arrived.

“He saw them coming from what they believe he was getting a tactical advantage over the team that were coming in,” Bujanda said. “We learned that he was probably in for a fight but didn’t expect that he was getting a huge presence from law enforcement.”

After his arrest, Campbell’s fingerprints confirmed his true identity. Campbell is facing a charge of passport fraud in New Mexico, but will be extradited to Wyoming where he’s facing an attempted murder charge.

Bujanda said the FBI plans to file more charges.