Phoenix police arrest murder suspect 26 years after crime

PHOENIX — Phoenix police have recently arrested a suspect in the 1998 murder of 28-year-old Sarah Carr.

The victim, a mother of six children, was shot to death at a home near 14th Street and McDowell Road on July 9, 1998. Her murder has remained unsolved for the past 26 years.

“Obviously I don’t have memories. I have pictures,” said Garrett Miller, one of Carr’s six children. “A lot of the pictures are my older siblings and the way she’s looking at them, you can see it’s just like a true motherly love type of look that she’s giving them. And I think she would have probably been the best mom.”

Garrett Miller was only two years old when Carr was killed. He and some of his other siblings were raised by their grandparents.

“Growing up, I had to kind of learn it on my own because it wasn’t really talked about. The why we were being raised by our grandparents wasn’t talked about so I had to find out on my own,” Miller said. “Just being nosy and mischievous, I came across court documents that were in a box that I was probably not supposed to find.”

Miller and his siblings faced obstacles throughout their lives growing up without Carr. 

Ultimately, Miller was called to service. He became an Austin Police Officer in 2020.

It gave him a new and unique perspective on his own mother’s case which had gone cold.

“There’s a lot going on that you can’t see behind the scenes, but at the same time, I’m also that person, and I was that person reaching out to the detective, saying, ‘Hey, do we have an update? What’s going on?'” Miller said.

Phoenix PD did not stop working on the case.

A suspect was not identified until 2016 when new technology helped investigators submit charges against Javier Lorenzano-Nunez, who was extradited to Phoenix earlier this month and booked into jail on a homicide warrant.

Miller and his aunt, Peggy, were there when Lorenzano-Nunez was brought into Phoenix PD custody this week.

“They asked me for a pair of my handcuffs, and I don’t think they realized I had a special pair that I had been saving for the occasion,” Miller said.

Miller was gifted an engraved pair of handcuffs by a mentor and former coach when he became a police officer. He always hoped he would get to use them on the man who took his mother’s life. Phoenix PD did just that.

“I had written my mom’s name on them in Sharpie, too, so it said Sarah Carr on them,” Miller said.

Miller got to share the news 26 years in the making with his six siblings.

“I’ve always had faith. I’ve prayed about it, you know, all throughout my life, but I really never thought we would see the day,” said Jessica Miller, Sarah Carr’s daughter.

Jessica recalled her mother’s favorite song, “Don’t Stop Believin'” by Journey. 

“It just really teaches you to never give up,” Jessica said.

Alexander Goldberg, another of Sarah Carr’s children, was adopted. It was only last year that he reconnected with his siblings and learned about what had happened to his mother.

This breakthrough in the case has brought him closer to his family.

“It does feel good to know that the person who took her away from all of her kids, not just myself, and prevented us from maybe starting this new relationship in life won’t be out there anymore,” Goldberg said.

A 26-year chapter is finally closed. Miller said a weight has been lifted off of his family’s shoulders and they are ready for the next chapter.

“I think what’s next for us is we all get together and truly have a celebration of our mom’s life,” Miller said.

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