California Man Gets 15 Years to Life for Pickaxe Murder of Wheelchair-Bound Half-Brother

A California man received a sentence of 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 Tuesday after entering his guilty plea in March to second-degree murder of 15-year-old Zayde, the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office said.

Sharp admitted several special allegations and aggravating factors. Those included inflicting great bodily injury, using a weapon in the crime and targeting a vulnerable victim.

On Dec. 5, 2024, deputies responded to a home in the 400 block of Jeanne Court in Newbury Park shortly after 8 p.m. Zayde’s mother had called 911 to report that her son had been struck in the head with an object.

She said Sharp attacked Zayde with a pickaxe inside a shed in the backyard.

The teen’s uncle heard a loud thud and ran to the shed. He saw Sharp standing over Zayde holding a pickaxe.

Zayde was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead soon after arrival.

Sharp fled and turned up at nearby Newbury Park High School. Deputies arrested him on the football field after reports of a man acting erratically. Student-athletes were on the field at the time, forcing a lockdown.

"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 did not release a motive. Family members told KTLA they believed Sharp was in a manic episode.

"It’s hard," Zayde’s mother said at a ceremony honoring her son. "It’s been really hard. Pain every day."

Sharp is the son of convicted killer Calvin Sharp. The elder Sharp killed a 6-year-old boy with a meat cleaver in 2007, pleaded guilty to murder and received a life sentence.