A teenage girl’s emotional funeral eulogy for her slain mother and stepfather has become a crucial piece of evidence after she was charged with their murders five months later, authorities in Georgia have revealed.
Sarah Grace Patrick, 17, surrendered to police on Tuesday facing two counts of murder and two counts of aggravated assault in connection with the February shootings of Kristin Brock, 41, and James Brock, 45. The couple were found dead in their bed at their Carrollton home, west of Atlanta, on 20 February.
Carroll County Sheriff’s spokesperson Ashley Hulsey told NewsNation the eulogy delivered by Patrick at the 8 March service seemed suspicious in retrospect. “It seemed odd. It was more like a speech, and at the end she said, ‘I’m sorry,'” Hulsey explained.
The chilling video shows Patrick, then 16, standing at the lectern of Catalyst Church in Carrollton wearing a pale blue dress. She told mourners she “just wanted to say goodbye to my mom and James since we never got the chance to.”
Patrick called her mother a “beautiful kind soul” and said she would always be her “sunshine”. She addressed her stepfather with apparent emotion, saying: “Your heart will be finally healed in heaven. Although that gives me so much comfort, your life was not supposed to end there.”
The couple’s bodies were discovered by their five-year-old daughter, who then alerted Patrick. The teenager called 911 at approximately 7:30am that morning, reporting the deaths to authorities.
Police found no signs of forced entry at the residence, and nothing appeared to have been stolen from the home. Both victims had suffered multiple gunshot wounds, according to the sheriff’s office.
From the very moment the 911 call was received, a relentless investigation began,” the sheriff’s office stated, describing months of work involving the FBI and Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Investigators focused on what they termed Patrick’s “digital footprint” after growing suspicious of her online activity. In the weeks following the murders, she had posted emotional tributes on social media, including a TikTok montage stating she would “always think about how much I needed them.
Hulsey noted: “When you want to post your life online, it becomes fair game.”
Family members have expressed conflicting views about the arrest. James Brock’s niece, Krysten Dowda, told the Daily Mail she was not surprised by the charges, claiming Patrick “fake cried at the funeral”.
She did a crying voice but never shed a single tear,” Dowda alleged, adding that she had saved the eulogy video immediately. I knew one day everyone would get to see this for what it was.
Dowda also questioned how Patrick could have failed to hear multiple gunshots in the small house, particularly noting the teenager’s claim she only heard her stepfather’s heart medication alarm that morning.
However, Patrick’s maternal grandfather, Dennis Nolan, is standing by his granddaughter. “She swears her innocence,” Nolan told NewsNation. “If they had something concrete, they would have arrested her a whole lot sooner.”
Patrick’s father, Doniel Patrick, accompanied her when she surrendered to authorities. He subsequently posted online: “I’ll always be in your corner… You were sent here with purpose, wrapped in grace and born to shine in ways only your soul knows how.”
The investigation involved what authorities described as “mountains of physical and digital evidence”, including ballistics analysis and gunshot residue testing. The sheriff’s office collaborated with federal agencies and private forensic laboratories during the five-month probe.
Tasha Meza, a member of Catalyst Church where the Brocks worshipped, remembered the couple fondly. “Kristin was bubbly and fun, and she loved hugs. She never met a stranger,” she said. “And James, he was a comical kind of guy. He would always crack jokes and make you laugh.”
Church member Jonan Daniel recalled Kristin’s kindness: “We had a Christmas parade in Carrollton and my shoe was untied. Before I knew it, Kristin was on her knees tying it. I told her she didn’t have to, and she looked up at me and said, ‘This is the type of friend I want to be.'”
Authorities have not disclosed a potential motive for the killings. “We don’t know what goes through the mind of a child who wants to harm their parents,” Hulsey said during Tuesday’s press conference.
The spokesperson described the case as “very horrific and sad”, adding that it remained active and ongoing. She warned that additional arrests could still be made, noting it was “very possible others are involved as well.
Patrick is being charged as an adult and is currently represented by a public defender. The six-year-old daughter who discovered the bodies is now staying with family members.
Hulsey referred to the young child as “the saddest victim” in the case, emphasising: “A mother and stepfather will never be able to raise their children.
The sheriff’s office thanked the community for their support during the investigation, stating: “We also want to extend our heartfelt thanks to the community that rallied for justice and never gave up hope.
James Brock had three adult sons from previous relationships, whilst Kristin had Patrick and another son from a prior marriage. The couple shared their six-year-old daughter together.
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