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A California man was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison after pleading guilty to the pickaxe murder of his teenage half-brother, who had cerebral palsy and used a wheelchair.
Zuberi Sharp, 26, was sentenced on Tuesday after pleading guilty in March to the second-degree murder of his 15-year-old half-brother, Zayde, according to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.
He also admitted to several special allegations and aggravating factors, including that he inflicted great bodily injury, that he used a weapon in the commission of the crime and that the victim was vulnerable.
On Dec. 5, 2024, deputies were called to a home on the 400 block of Jeanne Court in Newbury Park shortly after 8 p.m. following his mother’s 911 call from Zayde’s mother, who reported that her son had been struck in the head with an object.
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The victim’s mother reported that Sharp had attacked Zayde with a pickaxe inside a shed in the backyard.
The teen’s uncle heard a loud thud and rushed to the shed to check on the two brothers. He observed Sharp standing over Zayde while holding a pickaxe.
Zayde was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arriving.
Meanwhile, Sharp fled the scene and was later found at nearby Newbury Park High School, where deputies took him into custody after receiving reports of a man acting erratically on the football field, authorities said.
The incident forced a lockdown, as student-athletes were on the field when he arrived.
“This sentence reflects the seriousness of a violent and senseless act against a vulnerable victim,” Senior Deputy District Attorney David Russell said in a press release. “While nothing can undo this loss, it ensures the defendant is held accountable and that the victim’s family has been spared the trauma of a trial.”
Investigators never released a motive for the attack, but family members told KTLA they believed Sharp was having a manic episode at the time.
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“It’s hard,” Zayde’s mother previously told the outlet at a ceremony to honor her son. “It’s been really hard. Pain every day.”
Sharp is also the son of convicted killer Calvin Sharp, who killed a 6-year-old boy with a meat cleaver in 2007. He pleaded guilty to the murder and was sentenced to life in prison.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Sharp’s legal team. The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office directed inquiries to Tuesday’s press release.
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