Teen Suspect in Parents' Murders Who Begged True Crime Influencers to Cover Killing Seen Smiling in Court — Before She Wept By Samira Asma-Sadeque 14

The 17-year-old from Georgia charged in connection with the killing of her mother and stepfather was seen smiling in court this week — before breaking down as testimony got underway.

Sarah Grace Patrick is charged in connection with the February murders of her mother Kristin Brock, 41, and stepfather James Brock, 45, in Carrollton, Ga..

In video coverage by COURT TV, Patrick was seen smiling as she entered the Carroll County courtroom on Aug. 19, hugging her attorneys before she sat down.

Patrick grew emotional as she heard testimony from her pastor, friends and a woman who took her in following the murders, the COURT TV coverage shows.

The woman, identified on the stand as Kaitlin O’Keefe, told the court that the teen would often be motivated to finish her homework thinking of her deceased mom. As O’Keefe spoke, Patrick broke down several times and was seen weeping.

Patrick was arrested in July, months after her 6-year-old sister found the Brocks slain in their home. Following the discovery of the bodies, Patrick was the one who called 911 to report the killings.

In the aftermath, Patrick reached out to true crime influencers to request coverage of her parents’ case.

In one TikTok message received by true crime blogger Allegedly Reportedly, a note from one “Sarah Grace” offers to provide “intell (sic)” after asking the blogger to cover her parents’ murders.

“I think it would be a really big hit,” user “Sarah Grace” wrote in the message to Allegedly Reportedly, which the blogger shared with PEOPLE.

The message also said that “the only person who posted about [the murders] made it as the first image you see when you google [the victims’] names,” user “Sarah Grace” wrote in the message.

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Patrick turned herself in to police in July. She’s been charged with two counts of murder and two counts of aggravated assault, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office previously announced.

Following this week’s court appearance, a judge ordered that she remain in jail. A motive behind the killings has not been revealed.

She is yet to be indicted, the judge said. He set her arraignment date for Sept. 22.