Charges refiled against Utah man accused of murdering his parents

Charges refiled against Utah man accused of murdering his parents

(Emery County Jail)


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SALT LAKE CITY — Four years ago, murder charges were dismissed against an Emery County man accused of killing his parents because of competency issues.

Those charges were refiled on Wednesday.

But whether Peter Simon Sharp, 37, is now competent to stand trial was not clear.

Sharp was charged again in 7th District Court Wednesday with two counts of murder, a first-degree felony, and aggravated assault, a third-degree felony, for the shooting deaths of his parents a decade ago. Court documents list Sharp’s current address as the Utah State Hospital.

On Oct. 21, 2009, Sharp used a shotgun to kill his father, William Sharp, 51, and mother, Charmaine Sharp, 54, in their Castle Dale home, and then pointed the weapon at his sister, according to his original charging documents.

Four of Sharp’s nine siblings were home when he shot their parents, including two who tried to wrestle the shotgun away from him, police said at the time. Multiple family members have said he began exhibiting signs of mental illness several years before the deadly incident after suffering serious injuries in a car crash.

Family members said Sharp was frequently confused, had a hard time recognizing them and had the mental ability of a 5-year-old.

He was found incompetent to stand trial in July 2011 by 7th District Judge George Harmond and again in 2014. Doctors determined Sharp suffered from catatonic schizophrenia, intermittent explosive disorder and borderline intellectual functioning.

In 2015, prosecutors agreed to dismiss the case without prejudice, meaning charges could be refiled if Sharp’s competency was ever restored.

With the refiling of the criminal charges Wednesday, the Emery County Attorney’s Office also filed a petition for a new competency evaluation.

“(Sharp) was previously found not competent to proceed in this case with no substantial likelihood he would become competent,” the petition states, noting that Sharp has remained at the Utah State Hospital on a civil commitment since.

“Dr. Paul Whitehead, Utah State Hospital, has recently sent correspondence to the Emery County Attorney’s Office that indicates (Sharp) has made some improvements over the years and that he may now be minimally competent and is asking that his competency status be revisited,” the petition continues.

Prosecutors have also requested from the court that a public defender be appointed to represent Sharp.

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Pat Reavy is a longtime police and courts reporter. He joined the KSL.com team in 2021, after many years of reporting at the Deseret News and KSL NewsRadio before that.

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