A California resident has been handed a prison sentence ranging from 15 years to life after admitting to the murder of his teenage half-brother, who was living with cerebral palsy and reliant on a wheelchair.
On Tuesday, 26-year-old Zuberi Sharp received his sentence following a guilty plea in March for the second-degree murder of his 15-year-old half-brother, Zayde, as stated by the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.
In addition to the murder charge, Sharp acknowledged various special allegations and aggravating circumstances, including causing significant bodily harm, using a weapon during the crime, and targeting a particularly vulnerable victim.
The incident occurred on December 5, 2024, when deputies responded to a 911 call at a residence on the 400 block of Jeanne Court in Newbury Park, shortly after 8 p.m. Zayde’s mother had called to report her son being struck on the head with an object.
The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office confirmed Zuberi Sharp’s sentence of 15 years to life imprisonment.
According to the victim’s mother, Sharp attacked Zayde with a pickaxe inside a backyard shed.
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 victim’s mother reported that Zuberi had attacked Zayde with a pickaxe inside a shed in the backyard. (Getty Images)
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.
Zuberi is also the son of convicted killer Calvin Sharp, who killed a 6-year-old boy with a meat cleaver in 2007. (Thousand Oaks Police Department)
“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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