CARROLL COUNTY, Ga. — Sarah Grace Patrick, the woman accused of shooting and killing her mother and stepfather when she was 17, was back in court Monday.
Channel 2’s Tom Jones was at the courthouse, where the public defender representing Patrick said “rogue officers” are gathering evidence outside of the normal process for the case and he needs more time to investigate.
On Monday, attorneys for the state and for Patrick were in court for a hearing about whether the case would need to be delayed.
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A decision is expected by tomorrow afternoon or midday on Wednesday, according to the judge overseeing the case.
As it stands, Patrick is set to stand trial on Aug. 3, if the judge doesn’t grant her defense attorney the delay.
The public defender representing her, Shawn Hoover, is relatively new. He told Channel 2 Action News that there are all kinds of problems with the case, which is why he wants it delayed.
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Hoover told Jones there is still evidence the defense has not gotten and questions remain about some of the evidence collected by the Georgia Bureau of investigation.
Hoover said the defense has problems with the lead investigator and another investigator he called a “rogue officer.”
“We’re in a murder trial, a double homicide,” Hoover said. “And now rogue officers are bringing in evidence that no one knew before.”
On the other side of the case, prosecutors say the defense has all of Patrick’s records from the Georgia Department of Family and Children Services.
Prosecutors said they are still gathering evidence, which will be shared with the defense 10 days before the trial starts, which is required by the court.
The state also pushed back on Hoover’s claims of a “rogue officer,” saying there is not a rogue officer, adding that an officer tested a gun to see if it was involved and the crime and found it was not.
The defense insists it needs to investigate that and can’t just go with what the state says.
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