On October 6, 2023, Sarah Jane Buchholz Carda, a 35-year-old Caucasian woman, tragically lost her life in her Harris, Minnesota, home. A compassionate and dedicated registered nurse, she had worked at the Isanti County Jail for nearly a decade, where she was remembered for her kindness and laughter. Her death, a result of gun violence, cut short a life spent caring for others.
The events that led to her death began to unfold when Chisago County sheriff's deputies responded to a 911 call
reporting a domestic incident at her residence in Fish Lake Township. Upon arrival, a deputy could hear arguing from inside. As he approached a window and knocked, Sarah's voice rang out with a final, desperate warning: "He has a gun!" Immediately after her cry, several gunshots were fired from within the bedroom. The deputy retreated just as three more bullets pierced through the very window where he had been standing, exiting at head level. This initiated a tense standoff that lasted for hours.
The suspect was identified as Sarah's husband, Mike L. Carda, who was 39 years old at the time. He had a history of domestic violence, including a pending case from a July 2023 incident where he allegedly assaulted Sarah and prevented her from calling 911. A domestic abuse no-contact order was active at the time of the shooting. During the standoff, law enforcement, including a SWAT team, established a perimeter. After non-lethal methods to secure his surrender failed, a drone was flown into the home. The drone's camera revealed the devastating scene inside: Sarah was deceased on a bed from what a preliminary autopsy would later determine were three gunshot wounds to her head. Mike Carda was in the room with two long guns on the floor nearby.
After repeated refusals to surrender, authorities deployed a K-9 to assist in removing Mike Carda from the bedroom, and he was taken into custody. He was subsequently charged with second-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder for firing at the deputy, and second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon. In October 2024, Mike Carda pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and second-degree attempted murder. He entered what is known as an Alford plea, where a defendant maintains their innocence but concedes that the prosecution has enough evidence to secure a conviction. His sentencing was scheduled for January 2025, with a plea agreement calling for a sentence of 34 and a half years.
