A 27-year-old Halifax man has been charged with murder in the death of an off-duty Truro police officer whose body was discovered Wednesday.
Christopher Calvin Garnier was arrested during a traffic stop at 1:20 a.m. Wednesday, about an hour after the body of Const. Catherine Campbell was found near a Halifax overpass leading to the Macdonald Bridge connecting Halifax and Dartmouth.
He was charged Thursday with second-degree murder, as well as with indecently interfering with a dead body. Halifax Police Supt. Jim Perrin said the second charge was laid "because of the cavalier way that Miss Campbell's body was disposed of."
“Our thoughts remain with Catherine’s family, friends and colleagues,” Halifax Police said Thursday in a statement announcing the charges. “We’re hopeful that the charges laid today provide some level of comfort during this extremely difficult time.”
Garnier made a brief court appearance Thursday; his case was put over until Sept. 30. The Crown has said it will oppose bail for Garnier.
Const. Campbell, 36, was last seen alive at a bar in downtown Halifax last Friday morning. She was reported missing on Monday when she didn't appear for work at the Truro Police Service. Her remains were found early Wednesday.
Perrin said it is believed Campbell met the accused at a bar last Thursday night, but it wasn’t clear whether they knew each other before that encounter.
"Obviously...how that meeting took place is something that's still under investigation. But we have confirmed that they were together in downtown Halifax,” he told reporters Thursday.
Perrin said Wednesday that there was nothing about Campbell’s work that was thought to be a factor in their investigation.
Police said they are asking for anyone in Halifax who might have seen a man pushing a green bin around 4:30 a.m. on Friday to the area where Campbell's body was found. Perrin said police believe Garnier was pushing the bin but would offer no details on what they believed was inside.
Truro Police Chief David MacNeil said Wednesday that the entire force was devastated by the young officer’s murder.
He said it was he who had the difficult task of informing Campbell's parents about their daughter’s death. He said Wednesday was “probably the most difficult day” he’s ever had in his 22 years as a police officer
Campbell had been working with Truro police since 2009. She had recently moved to Dartmouth, N.S. and had been commuting to Truro for work.
MacNeil said that Campbell dedicated her life to serving others, and "she made it her life's work." He said her passion was helping people and “this is just a senseless act, and a senseless tragedy.”
On Wednesday, dozens of people left cards and flowers at makeshift memorial in front of the Truro police station.
Truro Mayor Bill Mills also expressed his gratitude for Campbell's service.
"We're very thankful that we've had her as part of our staff," said Mills. "And … the pain of this is excruciating for everybody."
Campbell's brother-in-law, Calvin Garneau, told CTV Atlantic that Campbell was an "exceptional” person.
"She'd give anything that she had to help anybody else. That's just the type of person she is," he said.
Campbell was originally from Stellarton, N.S., where the flag outside the town hall flew at half-mast on Wednesday. The volunteer fire department, where her father was the chief and she served for 10 years, was also in mourning.
Capt. Terry McChesney remembers giving Campbell a pin for service in February.
"It's just devastating -- we lost a sister (and) a friend," said McChesney. "We're all just really confused and hurt, and we really, really miss her and we're thinking about her family," he added.
With reports from CTV Atlantic's Kayla Hounsell, Dan Macintosh and The Canadian Press
