Georgia teen accused of killing mom and stepfather was caught in bitter custody war as her father branded victims unfit parents
It is just one of the revelations DailyMail.com has unearthed about the tangled past of Sarah Grace Patrick after the teenager was charged with the double homicides of her mother, Kristin Brock, 41, and stepdad, James Brock, 45, which she denies doing.
Ever since the teen turned herself in on July 8, online True Crime groups have speculated about what drove an angel-faced teen to allegedly kill her mother and stepfather.
Authorities have not yet revealed a motive, but the late couple's loved ones have hit out at 'victim-blaming' and denied their pasts had anything to do with their murders at their home in Carrollton, 45 miles west of Atlanta, on February 20.
But court documents seen by DailyMail.com provide an insight into the accused teen's often chaotic childhood, which appears to have been blighted by her mom and stepfather's alleged drug use.
In 2018, Doniel Patrick filed for divorce from his wife, Kristin Nolan Patrick, after a 10-year marriage during which they had Sarah Grace and her younger brother, Donnie, 12, while living in Acworth, Georgia.
In court papers, Doniel, 43, demanded joint legal custody of the kids with 'primary physical custody of the parties' minor child' and that any visits between his estranged wife and the children be supervised until she could prove she was clean and sober.
Under their July 2018 divorce order, the pair agreed on joint legal custody of the children, with primary physical custody given to the mother, and the father seeing them on alternate weekends and holidays.
Sarah Grace Patrick, 17, is being charged as an adult as she faces two counts of murder and two counts of aggravated assault in connection with her mother and stepfather's deaths in February
Sarah's father, Doniel Patrick (pictured), appeared visibly anguished during a visit to his daughter at Carroll County Jail in Georgia on July 13. Before her alleged actions, he had spent years locked in a bitter custody battle with his now-deceased ex, Kristin
James Brock, 47, and Kristin Nolan, 41, were shot dead as they slept in their Carrollton, Georgia home on February 20, after years of legal battles with Doniel, who accused them of abusing drugs which led him to seek emergency custody of his daughter Sarah and son Doniel, according to court documents
The exes also agreed they would not 'abuse' alcohol or drugs when they were looking after the kids.
But in November 2019, Doniel filed an emergency application for custody of the children, who lived with Kristin and her boyfriend, James Brock.
In an explosive legal motion, Doniel said the kids were exposed to drug use – mainly Methamphetamines and marijuana – by Kristin and James.
It added: 'The mother has unrehabilitated substance abuse issues and both she and her boyfriend fail to adequately provide a suitable drug-free environment for minor children.'
Doniel went on to cite eye-popping claims by Sarah Grace, then just 11 years old, who told cops about the drugs in the home and the 'unsafe living conditions' due to her mom allowing her friends to come over when they were on meth.
Doniel added: 'As a result of the mother's drug usage and the mother's boyfriend discipling the minor son with a belt that left a visible injury, the Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS) got involved.
'The Defendant moved from Cobb County to Carroll County and failed to notify (DFCS) and attempted to avoid being investigated further.'
He said a series of recent events raised 'concern' for the kids' safety and accused Kristin of 'spiraling' behaviors, which made it 'extremely unsafe for her to have the children in any unsupervised manner.'
In their 2018 divorce agreement, Doniel and Kristin both agreed to 50/50 custody of the kids; under the agreement they would not 'abuse' alcohol or drugs. But in 2019, the father would file an emergency application for custody, claiming she and James were using Methamphetamines around the kids (PICTURED: Doniel at Sarah's high school graduation)
The emergency filing (pictured) claimed that then 11-year-old Sarah told cops about the drugs in the home and that her mom allowed her friends to come over when they were high on meth
Doniel's efforts to secure emergency custody briefly succeeded, granting him custody for just five days starting November 9, 2019, during which the children's mother was barred from unsupervised visits
Sarah Grace is said to have told her teacher about 'her fears of going back to her mother's house and being exposed to the drugs'.
'The minor daughter is able to express whether her mother hides the illegal drugs in the house, what the drugs look like in the packaging and the foul odor of the methamphetamines,' the motion added.
James was said to be 'currently on Felony probation for Possession of Methamphetamines'.
Cobb County Superior Court documents show that in August 2017, James Matthew Brock was sentenced to two years' probation for possession of meth.
But court papers reveal James violated his probation by committing theft by shoplifting and receiving stolen property, possession of marijuana and obstruction of an officer between February and April 2018.
He was sentenced to three years, with the first two months served in confinement and the remainder on probation.
As a twice-convicted felon sentenced to more than a year in jail, James was banned from buying or owning a firearm.
Amid speculation that James had a gun in the home, his niece Krysten Dowda clarified that she was not aware he owned a gun.
The emergency custody filing cited James's felony meth possession convictions and revealed he had violated probation by shoplifting (pictured), resulting in a three-year sentence - two months to be served in confinement and the remainder under supervised release
That shoplifting violation occurred in April 2018 and barred the stepdad from buying or owning a gun. His niece, Krysten Dowda (left), said she was not aware he owned a gun when crime watchers began speculating if he had a firearm in the home
Tensions in the custody battle escalated after the emergency order was dissolved just five days later, prompting Kristin to threaten police involvement if the child wasn't returned. Yet even Sarah appeared to favor her father, expressing her wish to live with him in a parental election document (pictured)
On November 9, 2019, a judge gave Doniel temporary physical custody of Sarah Grace and Donnie, with their mother banned from unsupervised visits. But the order was overturned five days later.
He petitioned again for physical custody of the kids just two days before Christmas, accusing Kristin of failing to ensure their safety and that they were up to date on medical and dental appointments.
Doniel recounted how in one grim incident, Sarah Grace and Donnie were in a car with their mom, stepdad and their adult friends, when Sarah Grace was 'forced to put a blanket over her face to avoid having vomit slung on her' by one of her mom's drunken friends – and that Kristin sent videos of herself drunk to friends and relatives.
He insisted both children wanted to live with him and that when Sarah Grace shared her reasons for this, Kristin called him on December 12 to have him immediately collect her.
Doniel said that when he arrived at Kristin's home, she tried to force him to 'sign an agreement stating that Sarah could live with him and that he needed to pay her $5,000 to her for attorney's fees and to keep it out of court'.
He said that after allowing both kids to go with their father, Kristin threatened to call the cops if he did not return them.
In a later parental election document, Sarah Grace wrote: 'I Sarah Grace Patrick am eleven years old and love both of my parents very much.
'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.
In October 2020, it was agreed that Sarah Grace would live with her father (pictured) during the week, and her mother could visit her on set weekends
It appears in the years leading up to Kristin and James' murder, the family had reached some resolution, with Doniel tagging his ex in a post commending how well they raised their daughter
The couple was killed in their home in Carrollton, 45 miles west of Atlanta
'She had my father pick me up and my little brother.
'My mother knows that this is my desire, and she is also aware that my father is filing to get custody of me.'
Kristin hit back against his legal suit, accusing him of breaching their divorce deal by 'willfully abus[ing] alcohol during his parenting time', discussing their litigation with the kids and badmouthing her and James to them.
She demanded her ex-husband be jailed 'until such time as he purges himself of willful contempt' and that he pays her attorney fees.
Doniel denied her claims and said that since their split, Kristin had 'abused illegal drugs [and] exposed her children to people that abuse illegal drugs'.
In March 2020, it was ordered that Doniel and Kristin would have 50/50 custody of the kids, with the mom agreeing to 'ensure that the oldest child, Sarah Patrick, is placed in counselling immediately'.
Since the teen's arrest, there has been online speculation over whether she had any psychological problems, with apparent friends of hers claiming on TikTok that she was admitted to a hospital for undisclosed mental health issues.
Her relatives were split on the issue. Her maternal grandfather, Dennis Nolan, said he was not aware of any mental health problems, but her paternal grandmother, Donna Arnett, said she was told Sarah Grace had spent time in a hospital, but she didn't know what for.
When it was uncovered that Sarah was allegedly behind the gruesome double homicide, the internet swirled with speculation around her mental health. But her maternal grandfather, Dennis Nolan (left), said that wasn't anything they knew about
By August 2022, it appears Kristin had relapsed on prescription medication, with Sarah's (mugshot pictured) stepdad filing a protection order, claiming he feared for his life and their six-year-old daughter's - accusing her of trying to run him over while he was in a barn
An arrest warrant accused Kristin of cruelty to children in the 3rd degree, following the incident that was witnessed by Sarah and her half-sister Jaley
In October 2020, it was agreed that Sarah Grace would live with her father during the week and her mother could visit her on set weekends.
Doniel and Kristin's relationship appears to have improved dramatically in recent years.
Last year, he posted a photograph of a teenage Sarah Grace on Facebook with the caption: 'So proud of her, Kristin Brock we made one beautiful girl.'
Asked about his daughter's drug use, Dennis told the Mail: 'About 10 years ago she had a drug problem, but [recently] she was very clean, and she was involved with the church and so happy. She felt born again and very saved.'
He denied claims by cops that Sarah Grace lived with different relatives, insisting she always lived with the Brocks, with some weekends at her father's, per the divorce deal.
But in August 2022, it appears things between the deceased couple took a turn, with James petitioning for a temporary protection order against Kristin, claiming he feared for his safety and that of their little girl, Jaley, now aged six.
James said of Kristin: 'Respondent tried to run over the petitioner while he was inside the barn, with the minor child in the backseat of the vehicle.
'The other minor child witnessed the whole incident. Respondent is abusing prescription medication.'
Kristin was ordered to leave the family home until James later rescinded his claims and court documents showed the criminal damage and child cruelty charges against her were dismissed after her killing
After Sarah allegedly murdered her mom and stepdad, she posted tributes, tearful selfies and even pleas for justice on TikTok, all of which were dug up by internet sleuths after it was revealed she may have been involved in their deaths
An arrest warrant accuses Kristin of cruelty to children in the 3rd degree, with the offense described as 'intentionally allow[ing] a child under the age of 18 to witness the commission of a forcible felony, battery or family violence battery.'
It went on that during an argument with James, Kristin rammed a barn with her car, knowing he was inside, which was witnessed by Donnie and Jaley.
James accused Kristin of various 'abuse' during their relationship, including hitting him, destroying his property and even threatening to kill him.
A judge granted him temporary sole custody of Jaley and ordered Kristin to leave the family home.
James later rescinded his claims, and court documents show the criminal damage and child cruelty charges against Kristin were dismissed after her killing.
James' adult son Trysten defended his dad online: 'My father at heart was a good man, but he, like everyone else made mistakes.
'In the end, my father was a changed man who cared nothing for his past transgressions, but for his family and becoming the man he was when he died.'
Dennis said his daughter and James had argued a couple of years ago, and he told police she tried to run him over 'which wasn't the case' and 'it didn't go anywhere'.
After the tumultuous abuse allegations in 2022, the couple appeared to be on the mend, with them getting married at Dennis' sprawling home near Rome on December 12, 2023 (pictured)
The 17-year-old had delivered a tearful eulogy at a church service in Georgia for her mother Kristin and stepfather James Brock, only to be charged with their murders months later
He said the couple were recently baptized at the Catalyst church in Carrollton, where they were active members for a year.
'They were very serious about straightening their lives up. They got married; we did a small ceremony right here.'
They Brocks got married at Dennis' sprawling home near Rome on December 12, 2023, just a day after his divorce from his ex-wife Tiffany was ordered, court documents show.
He said the Brocks, Sarah Grace and Jaley spent last Thanksgiving at his home.
Asked about any disagreements between Sarah Grace and the Brocks, he said: 'No, not that I'm aware of. Any 17-year-old girl is going to have problems with her mother.
'She and Sarah had disagreements. But there was nothing heavy.'
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