HALIFAX – Catherina Ripley, who lives two doors over from Christopher Garnier’s Chadwick Place residence in Clayton Park, says neighbours are shocked and scared to hear of the second degree murder charge laid on Wednesday.
“I saw his picture in the paper and said ‘wow, he looks just like, you know he looks so sweet and innocent, he looks like the boy next door,’ and he literally was the boy next door,” Ripley said.
Christopher Garnier has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of Const. Catherine Campbell, who’s body was found on September 16 under the on-ramp to the Macdonald Bridge.
Ripley says Garnier lived in the house with his girlfriend and they had two big dogs.
“He semeed like a really nice guy, you know he was decent and respectful and if he seen the neighbours out in the yard they would always say ‘hello,'” she said. “They were the regular people next door.”
Ripley said she would have regular, neighbourly conversations with the couple, who she says moved in just about two months ago.
“(He) was like a regular, regular nice guy, you wouldn’t think that he would be capable of something so heinous,” she said.
“This is a nice neighbourhood, you don’t expect people like that, or people that are capable of those type of things, I guess you just don’t think about it, and it’s really scary to think that anybody that you meet can be capable of doing something so awful.”
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Ripley said late Tuesday night police were searching the back yards of the connected townhouses on Chadwick Place with spotlights.
She said her boyfriend saw police arrest Garnier in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Ripley said she saw the girlfriend moving things from the house on Thursday afternoon.
The funeral for Const. Catherine Campbell is scheduled for Monday at 2 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in Stellarton. Members of the Truro Police force will be involved in the ceremony.
There is also a tribute walk for Campbell happening at Victoria Square on Saturday evening at 7:30, where there will be a flower laying and prayers, as well as signing of the condolence book in the Truro Police station.
With files from Marieke Walsh
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