Teen Sarah Patrick charged with parents' murder after sister's discovery

NZ Herald

2 days ago

'I can't help but hate myself because I didn't wake up to find them before my five-year-old sister had to find her parents like that,' the teen said in a post to her now-deactivated TikTok social media account.
'It hits me when I see my five-year-old sister screaming for her mommy and daddy,' she added.
Sarah, now 17, was arrested early in July by Carroll County, Georgia, police and charged with two counts of murder and two of aggravated assault.
Carroll County officials say she turned herself in when presented with 'mountains of physical and digital evidence'.
Her biological father, Doniel, accompanied her. He's convinced she's innocent.
'I'll always be in your corner,' he wrote on Facebook. 'Never doubt your place in this world. You were sent here with purpose, wrapped in grace and born to shine in ways only your soul knows how.'
Chaotic childhood
'They don't know it, but a year from now me and my 5-year-old sister would find them wrongfully shot dead in our home – and they won't get to watch me graduate high school, see me walk down the aisle, or even say goodbye,' Sarah posted to TikTok alongside an image of her dead parents in March.
Carroll County police cited "mountains of physical and digital evidence" in their case against Patrick. Photo / TikTok
'I miss you guys, save a seat for me in heaven.'
But the series of tearful TikTok posts did not address the bitter custody battle waged between her biological parents.
Doniel Patrick filed for divorce from his wife in 2018 after 10 years of marriage. They had two children, Sarah and her younger brother, Donnie.
Doniel had sought 'primary physical custody of the parties' minor child' and that all visits be supervised until she proved to be 'clean' of drug and alcohol abuse.
Ultimately, the divorce settlement gave primary custody to the mother, with the father only seeing them every second weekend and during holidays.
This settlement was soon appealed, however. Doniel filed an emergency custody application in November 2019, alleging that Kristen and her new boyfriend – James Brock – had exposed the children to methamphetamine and marijuana use.
According to court documents, Sarah, then just 11, told police she was aware of the presence of drugs, that drugs were being used, and that she felt 'unsafe'.
Brock was serving probation for drug offences involving ice and marijuana.
'I, Sarah Grace Patrick, am 11 years old and love both of my parents very much,' she recorded in appeal documentation. 'I really want to live with my father. On December 12, 2019, my mother said I could finally live with my father after I told her.'
The custody appeal was initially granted. But it was overturned just five days later.
Kristin then accused Doniel of breaching the divorce custody agreement by 'wilfully abusing alcohol during his parenting time' and seeking to demean her reputation with her children.
A March 2020 court order gave the parents equal custody, adding that the mother must 'ensure that the oldest child, Sarah Patrick, is placed in counselling immediately'.
Tumultuous times
By October 2020, Sara Grace was allowed to stay with her father during the week and return to her mother on weekends.
But, two years later, things took a disturbing turn.
Her stepfather, James Brock, accused Kristin of deliberately driving the family car into the side of a barn in which he was standing.
James Brock, 45, and Kristin Brock, 41. Photo / Facebook
'Respondent tried to run over the petitioner while he was inside the barn, with the minor child in the backseat of the vehicle,' a police report reads. 'The other minor child witnessed the whole incident. Respondent is abusing prescription medication.'
The 'other minor' inside the car was Jaley, then aged 6. Her older brother, Donnie, also witnessed the incident.
James went on to accuse Kristin of assault, deliberate property damage and threatening to kill him. But he later dropped all allegations.
Instead, they got married in December 2023.
'I don't know if she ever realised … that the person I most wanted to be was her,' Sarah Grace posted to TikTok in April.
Another clip shows her in tears, with mascara running down her face. Superimposed are the words: 'Life's hard but at least I have my mom'.
The post then cuts to two cremation urns with a photo of Kristin with James. The caption reads: 'Mom?'
Sarah Grace's grandfather, Dennis Nolan, is not convinced of her guilt.
'It's all speculative stuff,' he told FOX 5 Atlanta. 'Nothing puts the gun in her hand. They don't have the gun.'
He said he had received a call from Sarah after she was detained: 'What are they doing to me?' she reportedly asked. 'Why are they doing this to me? I didn't do anything.'
Building a case
'I know, 100% of my heart, that Sarah's innocent,' Sarah's father, Doniel, told US media.
'She's a typical 17-year-old that lived like a teenager, and she would never do this.'
Her father, Doniel Patrick (left), insists on her innocence, criticising police procedures during her interrogation. Photo / Facebook
He complained that police had not followed correct procedures when interviewing his daughter.
Police had prompted him to take a break, he explained.
'By the time I came back in, they had her in the room, interrogating her without my permission. By the way, she was 16 years old at the time,' he said.
Doniel says Sarah had named several people she believed may have been involved in the killing.
'She had told us about, you know, other friends of the family and stuff, and she suspected they could have done it,' he said.
But Carroll County police are resolute.
'While the case has not remained in the public spotlight in recent months, this investigation has never gone silent,' the Sheriff's Office said in a recent statement.
'Real justice takes time, time to ensure that no detail is overlooked, no stone unturned.'
County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Ashley Hulsey said there were no signs of forced entry at the house, though one door was slightly ajar. And nothing appeared to have been stolen.
'Our team has sifted through mountains of physical and digital evidence and collaborated with the FBI and GBI (Georgia Bureau of Investigation) crime lab,' she added.
Hulsey explained that a livestreamed recording of Sarah giving a eulogy at her mother's funeral was among the key pieces of evidence they had collected.
Investigators believe the performance was an attempt to divert attention. Although they admit they do not have a motive for the killings.
'She's 17. She's kind of been out on her own. She's lived with different family members and moved all over the place,' Hulsey said.
'We don't know what goes through the mind of a child who wants to harm their parents.'
Sarah has been charged as a full adult.
The next court hearing is scheduled for August 11.