A Minnesota man is facing murder charges after allegedly killing his wife after she obtained a protective order against him.
According to court documents, 35-year-old Sarah Jane Carda was shot three times in the head at her Fish Lake Township home Friday. Her husband, Mike Larry Carda, 39, is now facing second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, and second-degree assault with a deadly weapon charges.
Pioneer Press reports that police were dispatched to the couple’s home off Elmcrest Avenue on October 6, which reportedly had a “large number of weapons” inside. A deputy said he knocked on the door, then heard a man’s voice, but no one answered the door.
When he knocked on a nearby window, he heard a woman say, “he’s got a gun,” according to court documents, but despite being asked several times, no one in the residence walked outside.
The deputy then heard three gunshot rounds and stepped away from the window as the bullets shattered through the glass. A SWAT team arrived and law enforcement used a drone to gain access into the home through the shattered window.
“[The deputy] then heard gun shots from the bedroom. He backed away from the window he had just knocked on and three more rounds were shot through the same window from the bedroom,” an affidavit read.
“He had backed away only two feet from where the bullets had gone through the window. The bullets had exited at ‘head-level.’”
The drone showed images of a woman, later identified as Sarah Carda, lying unresponsives with gunshots to her head. Mike Carda was seen in a bedroom with two firearms. He refused to surrender, prompting deputies to send in a police dog. He was subsequently taken into custody.
Sarah Carda was pronounced dead shortly after, with the cause of death listed as homicide.
A probable cause affidavit obtained by Law&Crime indicated that Sarah had obtained an order of protection against her husband at noon on the day of the shooting. The protective order reportedly stemmed from an incident earlier this year in which the defendant is accused of pushing his wife to the ground and stopping her from calling police.
Mike Carda Complaint by Leigh Egan
“After 17 years of providing unconditional love and support, the person she should have been able to trust the most ended her life,” Sarah’s sister, Melissa Stockness, wrote in a GoFundMe set up to help with expenses.
Mike Carda remains behind bars without bail. He appeared in court virtually Monday morning, but refused to speak to the judge.
Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo: Sarah Jane Carda via GoFundMe]
