A Georgia teenager accused of killing her mother and stepfather will remain behind bars after a judge denied her bond this week, setting the stage for what is likely to be one of Carroll County’s most closely watched trials in years.
Seventeen-year-old Sarah Grace Patrick is facing two counts of murder and two counts of aggravated assault in the February deaths of Kristin and James Brock. Prosecutors say Patrick killed the couple while they slept in their Carrollton home. She was just 16 at the time. Arrested five months later, in July, police said then that “mountains of evidence” pointed directly to her. She is being charged as an adult.
The bond hearing on Tuesday made clear just how divisive the case has become in the community. Friends and church members showed up in support of Patrick, some wearing shirts that read I Stand With Sarah. Others, including James Brock’s own son, urged the court to keep her in custody.
Judge Dustin Hightower agreed with prosecutors, citing the possibility that Patrick could flee if released and describing her as a potential danger to others. “I believe those closest to Patrick have vast concerns,” he said from the bench. Hightower has said that he wants to move quickly through the case both because of the girl’s age as well as the public interest swirling around the Patrick. It’s likely that the trial could start as early as January 5, although there could be delays.
Even before her arrest, Patrick had drawn attention online. For months she posted videos on TikTok mourning her parents, asking for prayers, and reflecting on the tragedy. In one clip, she wrote, “Please send prayers for healing,” ending with a cryptic aside: “I should prob delete later.”
But Patrick wasn’t only speaking to her followers. She reached out to family friends and even true-crime creators to tell her version of events. Kellie Brown, a longtime friend of the Brocks, said Patrick called her to talk about the night of the murders, telling her she hadn’t heard anything unusual except the sound of James Brock’s heart pump machine alarming. Another creator, who runs a page called Allegedly Reportedly, said Patrick messaged her directly in June, urging her to “look up the Brock case.”
Within weeks, Patrick was arrested and charged with their murders. She has pleaded not guilty. For now, she will remain in custody.
