I always knew something was ‘off’ about my daughter’s boyfriend. But when I learned the full horrifying truth, it was too late…

Sarah Carroll’s dad always had the feeling that something was not quite right about her boyfriend, Linkin Parker Christensen.

‘He just didn’t like to talk. He was always quiet. He wasn’t outspoken. He never looked you in the eye,’ James Carroll told the Daily Mail.

‘He wasn’t a sociable person. It just seemed like there was something off with him.’

But, when his 20-year-old daughter – a college student with dreams of becoming a physician’s assistant – broke off the nearly one-year relationship in May, no one imagined she would be killed in cold blood just weeks later.

‘I never thought he would do something like this,’ Carroll said, his voice cracking with emotion.

The night of August 30, Christensen – whose last name has not yet been released by police – showed up at Sarah’s home at the Woodland Villa Apartments in Westland, Michigan, armed with a shotgun.

In the parking lot outside the apartment they once shared, at approximately 8:30 or 9 pm, according to Carroll, Christensen shot Sarah multiple times, killing her.

The jealous ex-boyfriend fled the scene before calling 911 and confessing to the murder. Christensen, 20, then turned the gun on himself and died by suicide.

The murder-suicide marked a devastating end to a disturbing two-month period following the young couple’s split.

During that time, Sarah’s family said, Christensen repeatedly stalked and harassed her.

He refused to leave her alone, they said, and became jealous when she began dating someone new.

Prior to her murder, Sarah had grown so concerned with her ex’s behavior that she was desperately trying to get a restraining order against him.

Sarah and Christensen had begun dating in the summer of 2024 and moved in together at the Woodland Villa Apartments about four months later, Carroll said.

As a father, Carroll said he found his daughter’s boyfriend ‘distant’.

‘He was just really quiet and kept to himself,’ he said. ‘I tried talking with him a number of times and he just really didn’t have much to say.’

Carroll said his late wife, Sarah’s stepmother, ‘really didn’t care for’ Christensen either.

Sarah’s mother, Jennifer, told Fox 2 that the couple was ‘having trouble’ during their time together. 

From what Carroll witnessed, their relationship was ‘rocky’, but he saw no signs of violence.

By the time Sarah broke up with Christensen in May and asked him to move out of their home, Carroll said things had gotten more intense.

‘Sarah said he had been abusive towards her – not really physically abusive, but he would pick on her.

‘They weren’t getting along, and it had just gotten to the point where she didn’t want to live with him anymore.’

Christensen moved out and Sarah’s best friend moved in with her.

Sarah started moving on with her life and began dating someone else.

But Christensen wanted to remain friends – something Carroll urged his daughter against.

‘I told her to stay away from him and not to have anything to do with him,’ he said.

‘But she was always the peacemaker. She wanted to let him down easy. She definitely was not expecting this.’

Unbeknown to Carroll at the time, Christensen’s behavior was growing more alarming.

It was only after Sarah’s murder that he learned Christensen had been stalking and harassing her since their breakup.

‘I didn’t know the extent of what he was doing, because she didn’t really let me know,’ Carroll said. It is unclear whether Jennifer was aware of the situation and the legal action prior to her daughter’s death.

When reached for comment by the Daily Mail, Jennifer agreed to speak with a reporter but was unable to do so before publication.

‘[Sarah] told me he was still trying to talk to her and I told her, “just don’t talk to him”,’ Carroll said.

‘He kept stalking her. He’d be texting her. He wouldn’t leave her alone. She asked him a number of times to leave her alone, but she was living with her best friend, and he was jealous she was seeing somebody new.’

Looking back, Carroll said he now wishes his daughter had moved out of the apartment that would later become a crime scene.

Since her death, Carroll has learned Sarah was seeking a personal protection order against Christensen.

Carroll said he is not yet sure what interaction his daughter had with Westland Police or what stage the request was at.

Westland Police did not respond to the Daily Mail’s request for comment and information by the time of publication.

Speaking about the night his daughter was murdered, Carroll recalled the moment his phone rang.

It was Jennifer – she called just before 10 pm.

‘She said that Sarah’s best friend [and roommate Makaila] had called her and told her Sarah had been shot,’ he said.

‘I didn’t believe it at first… I was in shock. It seemed unbelievable, like it couldn’t have happened… until I talked to [the roommate], and she told me Sarah was gone.’

Carroll said his daughter was pursuing a nursing degree at Schoolcraft College to follow her dreams of becoming a physician’s assistant.

‘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 said.

‘She was just a gentle soul. She was very sarcastic, very funny. We always picked at each other and played around,’ he added, laughing.

‘She had a way with people. Everybody just loved her.’

According to an online obituary, Sarah loved her two cats, ReRe and PeePee, was charmingly clumsy, and ‘really, really hated’ spiders.

As well as being dedicated to her studies, Sarah ‘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’, according to an online obituary.

She was remembered fondly as ‘a little clumsy’ and with ‘a spirited and resilient nature, always bouncing back with a sarcastic remark and her signature feisty smile’.

‘Sarah left an unforgettable imprint on everyone who knew her’, the obituary reads.

The day after her murder, dozens of family and friends gathered to remember Sarah at a balloon release near her apartment.

Sarah’s family launched a GoFundMe to help Carroll and Jennifer with their daughter’s funeral expenses ‘so we can lay her to rest with the love and dignity she deserves’. It has raised over $21,400 as of Thursday morning.

Sarah’s family plans to hold her visitation and funeral service in Lincoln Park on Sunday. 

Carroll said he believes his daughter’s killer was suffering from mental illness ‘and it slid up to domestic violence’.

Now, he hopes Sarah’s murder will serve as a message to others dealing with similar situations.

‘I want to get it out there to people who are dealing with mental health issues, seek help. Don’t take somebody else’s life,’ Carroll urged.

‘Go to the hospital or do whatever you have got to do to get help. Don’t take a life like this. People with mental health issues should never resort to this kind of thing.

‘If you see somebody in need get them help.’

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.

The national domestic abuse helpline offers support on 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).