A couple found dead in their home earlier this week may have seemed like they had it all from the outside — but one neighbor says he’d sensed something wasn’t quite right over the past couple of years.
Christina Chambers, 38, a former sports reporter and journalism teacher, was found fatally shot alongside her husband, Johnny Rimes Jr., 41, in their Hoover, Alabama, home on Tuesday, Dec. 16, according to a statement from the Hoover Police Department.
Their 3-year-old child was also inside the home but was not physically hurt, police said.
Charles Maple, 80, who lives across the street, said he’d grown close to Chambers over the years through their shared love of sports.
“I knew them from when they were dating each other to when they got married — they were happy … to an absolute tragic ending,” Maple said.
Maple said he never saw Chambers express fear for her safety or her child’s, but added that he believed the initial reports pointing to a murder-suicide when he learned of the deaths.
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Over the last two years, Maple said, he noticed a shift in the couple — who had long been known in the neighborhood as affectionate and devoted.
“I just felt something wasn’t right,” he said. “I was aware somewhat, from time to time, I would talk to Christina and … you can sort of read people sometimes, but I didn’t want to dwell into that.”
That feeling stayed with him. When he saw police cars outside the home on Tuesday and heard what had happened, he said he was stunned — but not entirely.
“I was so shocked, but for some reason, I don’t know why, I wasn’t totally surprised,” he said. “We don’t really know what happened inside that house like many things.”
Maple also said the couple’s 3-year-old appears to have been alone inside the home and opened the door for Rimes’ father, who came to check on them after the family missed a church event.
Chambers had a notable career in sports journalism and most recently worked for WBRC 6 News. She also taught high school journalism. After her death, Alabaster City Schools Superintendent Wayne Vickers said in a statement that Chambers “quickly formed meaningful connections with her students.”
“Her dedication to them and to her profession was evident in everything she did,” the statement read, according to AL.com.
“She had something special about her,” Maple said. “Some people just got it, and she had it.”
Hoover police said in an update on Wednesday, Dec. 17, that the investigation remains ongoing. Authorities did not disclose who fired the shots.
A GoFundMe has since been set up in Chambers’ honor to help support the couple’s 3-year-old son, Constantine, who “was left without parents.”
“The money raised will be used for his educational expenses and future academic opportunities. By giving, you are honoring her life and helping carry forward the love and dreams she had for her sweet child,” the fundraiser reads.
