CARROLL COUNTY, GA — The expected murder trial of Sarah Grace Patrick has been delayed.
Patrick, now 18, is accused of killing her mother and stepfather, Kristin and James Brock, last year. Jury selection had been slated to begin Monday.
Patrick faces eight charges, including malice murder, felony murder and aggravated assault, in the deaths of Kristin and James Brock. Her indictment alleges she targeted the couple as they lay in bed, striking them multiple times with a handgun.
Investigators arrested Patrick about five months after she called 911 to report that her younger sister had found the couple dead. She has been jailed without bond after a judge denied bond twice in recent months.
The Carroll County Sheriff’s Office says it has “mountains of evidence” against Patrick. WSB Senior Legal Analyst Ron Carlson says many questions in the case remain unanswered.
“Prosecutors say they had a mountain of evidence, but so far they have not exposed a lot of that to the media or the public,” Carlson said.
Carlson says one issue expected to come up during the trial is the lack of a publicly identified motive.
“The state does not have to prove motive, but it sure helps with the jury if you can show one,” Carlson said.
He also pointed to other unanswered questions in the case.
“Number one, there was no forced entry into this home. Number two, why didn’t Sarah not hear any of the shots as they rang out? She said she didn’t hear ‘anything that night,’” Carlson said.
Carlson says Patrick’s defense team is also expected to point to the lack of a clear motive and notes several of her family members continue to support her.
“Family members believe in her innocence, several of them,” Carlson said.
WSB Radio’s Veronica Waters contributed to this story.