A well-respected retired attorney couple was brutally murdered, and authorities say the suspect is someone shockingly close. Guess who?

Michael, 72, and Darla McKenzie, 68, both retired attorneys, who lived in Roswell, Ga., were killed in rural Alabama on Jan. 28, the Etowah County Sheriff’s Office says... Continue reading here ▶

Christopher Scott Johnson, 38, was subsequently arrested and charged with murder, the sheriff’s office says. The Gadsden Times reported that Johnson is the son-in-law of the McKenzies.

It is not immediately clear if Johnson, who is being held without bail, has entered a plea or retained an attorney.

WOOD reported that Mike McKenzie was an attorney who specialized in arson cases and that he had worked to help exonerate three men wrongly convicted in Michigan.

“Mike did all this incredible work without charging a dime to any of my clients or the clients of any other Innocence Project,” Michigan Innocence Project co-director Imran Syed told WOOD. “He was a beloved friend and mentor to many young lawyers across the country, and few can dream to leave behind as many monumental good deeds as he did.”

Darla McKenzie was a retired partner at a Georgia law firm who specialized in real estate law, according to her bio on the website of Morris, Manning & Martin.

“This is an incredibly difficult time for the McKenzie family, and our hearts go out to them,” Etowah County Sheriff Jonathon Horton says in a statement. “The loss of loved ones in such a tragic manner is devastating, and we extend our deepest sympathy to their family and friends. To the Etowah County community, I want to assure you that we are committed to ensuring justice is served, and there is no threat to your safety.”

Police did not provide details on what led to the suspected murders.