Heartbroken father speaks out after daughter was killed by ex-boyfriend who'd been stalking her for months
A grieving father has said he always knew ‘something was off’ about his daughter’s ex-boyfriend, who'd fatally shot her before taking his own life.
On August 30, Michigan student Sarah, 20, was killed by her ex-boyfriend outside of her home at the Woodland Villa Apartments in Westland, as per FOX Detroit.
After allegedly fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend with a shotgun, the man rang 911 and admitted he’d killed her before turning the gun on himself.
According to the victim’s mother, Jennifer Thomas, Sarah was in the process of getting a restraining order against the man with whom she’d been in a relationship for a year.
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Neither she nor Sarah’s father, James Carroll, was informed by Sarah that he had been stalking her for the last two months, as per an interview with Click On Detroit.
The 20-year-old's father has since opened up about the horrific incident, alleging that something was ‘off’ about his daughter’s former partner.
“‘He just didn't like to talk. He was always quiet. He wasn't outspoken. He never looked you in the eye,” he told the Daily Mail.
“He wasn't a sociable person. It just seemed like there was something off with him.”
James continued, claiming he’d tried to engage his daughter's ex in conversation a ‘number of times’, but that he didn’t really ‘have much to say’.
However, he added that he 'never thought he would do something like this'.
Recalling the moment he found out his child had been brutally shot, the dad said he was ‘in shock’ and that the situation seemed initially ‘unbelievable’.
“Everybody loved her. She was so helpful - you could call her and she'd be there for you, she'd drop what she was doing. She was beautiful, smart, she was on the Dean's list at her school. I was very proud of her,” he continued.
“She was just a gentle soul. She was very sarcastic, very funny. We always picked at each other and played around. She had a way with people. Everybody just loved her.”
Sarah's mother described their daughter as a ‘wonderful person’ who would ‘light up her room whenever she'd come in’.
“She had a smile that was just brilliant, and she was so smart. She was on the Dean's List,” she said.
Before her death, she had been dedicated to her studies and planned to enter the medical field after graduation, as per an online obituary.
“She adored her eyelashes and nails, enjoyed heading over to Canada for the evening, and brought joy to those around her with her sweet, loving, and witty personality. Her family also remembers her well-known dislike for spiders - she really, really hated them!” the obituary said.
“Though her time here was far too brief, Sarah left an unforgettable imprint on everyone who knew her. She will be remembered for her strength, humor, and the love she gave so freely.”
A GoFundMe has been set up in Sarah’s honor, which lists ‘gun violence’ as her cause of death.
"We love and miss her more than words can ever say. Thank you for your prayers, your donations, and the love you’ve shown our family during this heartbreaking time,” the plea reads.
$21,771 has been raised at the time of writing. You can donate here.
Ella Scott