Police received a call in September 2021 to conduct a welfare check on 64-year-old Jerry Cardin. Once at his home, they found his body in the crawl space. He had been shot.
Survelliance video showed a woman moving some of his items into his truck before taking off.
The next day, Sara McQuilling was caught driving his vehicle and was arrested. A .22 revolver was found in her purse, and she later told authorities she used it to kill Cardin.
The story didn’t end there as they found the body of 39-year-old Douglass Brooks in the crawl space of his home on September 27th. He had been stabbed, and his head was missing.
McQulling entered an Alford plea of complicity to murder, complicity to manslaughter in the second degree, and several other charges.
Despite her previous confession to the murder of Cardin, her attorney maintained her innocence at sentencing. McQuilling received 20 years.
Brooks’s head had never been found.
McQulling is eligible for parole on September 4th, 2038.
DOB:
1981Conviction(s):
- Murder
- Second-degree manslaughter
- Tampering with physical evidence (2 counts)
- Abuse of a corpse (2 counts)
- Theft by unlawful taking
Date of crime:
September 2021Location(s):
Louisville, KYDate of arrest:
September 24, 2021Details:
Connect to two murders where the male victims were found in the crawl spaces of their homes.Confirmed Victim(s):
- Jerry Cardin (64)
- Douglass Brooks (39)
Method:
Shooting/StabbingMotive(s):
UnknownSentence:
20 yearsCurrent whereabouts:
Roederer Correctional Complex in La Grange, KYSources:
N/ALast Updated on 08/04/2026
