LOUISVILLE, KY – A 44-year-old woman accused of killing two men back in 2021, reportedly decapitating one of the victims, accepted a plea deal in the case earlier in August which doesn’t directly admit guilt but simply succumbs to the impending consequences due to the overwhelming evidence.
On August 1st, Sara McQuilling entered into what’s known as an Alford plea in connection to the September 2021 murders of 39-year-old Douglas Brooks and 64-year-old Jerry Cardin. For context, an Alford plea stems from the 1970 Supreme Court case of North Carolina v. Alford, which is a plea deal a defendant can accept where they can maintain their innocence but still accept whatever sentence will be imposed by the court.
Back in 2021, McQuilling was charged with the murders of Brooks and Cardin, with police noting the two killings occurred within days of each other and bore similar matters of execution insofar as both of the victims’ bodies were stashed within the crawl spaces inside of their own homes.
However, while Cardin was fatally shot prior to being stuffed inside his crawl space, Brooks was apparently decapitated. To this date, it is unclear whether authorities have ever recovered Brooks’ severed head.
Police took McQuilling into custody on September 27th, 2021, after she was found driving Cardin’s vehicle, with police discovering overwhelming evidence against McQuilling within the truck bed that pointed to her as the killer.
Despite McQuilling opting to take an Alford plea in court earlier in August, she apparently admitted to police during her initial arrest years earlier that she’d shot Cardin and stuffed him inside of the crawl space inside the home.
One of the more perplexing elements of the case involving McQuilling is that there is no apparent motive in either of the 2021 killings, with the married mother of six children also not exactly fitting the archetype of a deranged killer.
Reports of McQuilling’s initial arrest made little mention of her husband, outside of him reportedly saying back in 2021 that he “supports his wife.”
The court recommended a 20 year sentence for McQuilling with eligibility for parole upon serving 85 percent of her sentence. If the sentence moves forward as recommended, McQuilling could be free after serving 17 years behind bars.
On August 1st, Sara McQuilling entered into what’s known as an Alford plea in connection to the September 2021 murders of 39-year-old Douglas Brooks and 64-year-old Jerry Cardin. For context, an Alford plea stems from the 1970 Supreme Court case of North Carolina v. Alford, which is a plea deal a defendant can accept where they can maintain their innocence but still accept whatever sentence will be imposed by the court.
Back in 2021, McQuilling was charged with the murders of Brooks and Cardin, with police noting the two killings occurred within days of each other and bore similar matters of execution insofar as both of the victims’ bodies were stashed within the crawl spaces inside of their own homes.
However, while Cardin was fatally shot prior to being stuffed inside his crawl space, Brooks was apparently decapitated. To this date, it is unclear whether authorities have ever recovered Brooks’ severed head.
Police took McQuilling into custody on September 27th, 2021, after she was found driving Cardin’s vehicle, with police discovering overwhelming evidence against McQuilling within the truck bed that pointed to her as the killer.
Despite McQuilling opting to take an Alford plea in court earlier in August, she apparently admitted to police during her initial arrest years earlier that she’d shot Cardin and stuffed him inside of the crawl space inside the home.
One of the more perplexing elements of the case involving McQuilling is that there is no apparent motive in either of the 2021 killings, with the married mother of six children also not exactly fitting the archetype of a deranged killer.
Reports of McQuilling’s initial arrest made little mention of her husband, outside of him reportedly saying back in 2021 that he “supports his wife.”
The court recommended a 20 year sentence for McQuilling with eligibility for parole upon serving 85 percent of her sentence. If the sentence moves forward as recommended, McQuilling could be free after serving 17 years behind bars.
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