Calif. man sentenced for using pickax to kill brother who had cerebral palsy
VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. (TCN) — A 26-year-old man has been sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for killing his 15-year-old brother with a pickax in 2024.
On Dec. 5, 2024, police responded to a home and found Zayde Sharp suffering from severe injuries due to an assault. He was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Authorities located and apprehended the suspect, Zuberi Sharp, naked on a nearby high school football field, still holding a pickax. Student athletes were attending practice at the field and Sharp’s presence led to a lockdown, according to authorities. He was arrested and booked on a murder charge.
According to the mother, Zuberi Sharp attacked his half-brother in a backyard shed, KTLA reports. A relative heard a loud thump and went to check on them and saw Sharp standing over the victim while holding a pickax. The victim had been hit in the head with it.
According to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, Sharp pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on March 30 and was sentenced on May 5 to 15 years to life in prison. Authorities did not release a motive, but according to KTLA, family members have said they believe that Sharp was having a manic episode at the time of the murder.
Zayde Sharp had cerebral palsy and used a wheelchair.
Zuberi Sharp’s father was convicted of stabbing a 6-year-old to death in 2007 with a meat cleaver and is serving a life sentence in prison without the possibility of parole, according to the Los Angeles Times.
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