On a Tuesday afternoon in a rural area of Gadsden, Alabama, 68-year-old Darla McKenzie and her husband, Michael, were shot while visiting their daughter and son-in-law. The incident occurred on January 28, 2025, at a home on Coats Bend Circle. When Etowah County sheriff's deputies arrived at the residence around 12:30 p.m., they found both Darla and her 72-year-old husband suffering from gunshot wounds.
Michael McKenzie was pronounced dead at the scene.
Darla McKenzie, in critical condition, was airlifted to a hospital in Birmingham, where she later succumbed to her injuries. An investigator later testified that Darla had been shot 13 times. Both she and her husband were retired, well-respected lawyers from Roswell, Georgia. Darla had been a partner at the Atlanta law firm Morris, Manning and Martin, LLP, specializing in real estate development and finance. Friends remembered them as a happy couple who loved to travel and were devoted to their three children.
Within hours of the shooting, authorities arrested the couple's son-in-law, 38-year-old Christopher Scott Johnson, in connection with their deaths. Information gathered from 911 calls and evidence at the scene quickly pointed to Johnson as the suspect. He was taken into custody with the assistance of several other police departments. Johnson was subsequently charged with capital murder and is being held in the Etowah County Detention Center without bond. At a preliminary hearing, a judge ruled that Johnson would remain in jail indefinitely, and his case is expected to be referred to a grand jury.
