Teen should get life in prison for murdering Arkansas college student in home-invasion, prosecutor says

Shakur Sharp
Shakur Sharp

FORT SMITH -- A Sebastian County prosecutor recommended Tuesday that 18-year-old Shakur Sharp be sentenced to life in prison for murdering a man during a home-invasion robbery in January 2016.

After a two-day sentencing hearing before Circuit Judge Stephen Tabor, deputy prosecutor Alison Houston asked Tabor to sentence Sharp to life in prison on the charge of first-degree murder, to which he pleaded guilty Sept. 20.

She also recommended that Tabor sentence Sharp to 40 years in prison for kidnapping and two counts of aggravated robbery, to which he has also pleaded guilty.

She said if Sharp -- who was 16 at the time of the killing -- is sentenced to life in prison, he will be eligible for parole after serving 25 years, according to Act 539 of 2017, or the Fair Sentencing of Minors Act. If sentenced to 40 years in prison for the murder, he would have to serve 70 percent of the sentence, or 28 years, before becoming eligible for parole.

Sharp's attorney, Leonardo Monterrey, said he thought a fair sentence that would allow Sharp the chance to salvage his life would be 15 to 30 years.

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Tabor said he wanted to take the time to make a "thoughtful, informed and prayerful decision" and scheduled Sharp's sentencing for 1:30 p.m. Oct. 23.

Monterrey raised the issue of racial bias in his closing argument, telling Tabor that it was natural and that everyone had racial biases. Sharp is black. His victim, Kaleb Watson, was white.

Monterrey posed the question of whether a white man would be treated differently if he had killed a black man.

Sharp is being sentenced for the Jan. 23, 2016, shooting death of Watson, 22, a college senior studying electrical engineering at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith.

Sharp took the witness stand Tuesday and apologized to Watson's family and friends for killing Watson. He said Watson's death was always on his mind, and if he had the chance he would change places with Watson.

"He was on a great path in life and I took that from him," Sharp said.

Sharp's brother James, 17, and Dionte Parks, 17, also are charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and two counts of aggravated robbery in Watson's death. Their cases are in the Arkansas Court of Appeals where they are appealing a ruling by Tabor earlier this year not to transfer their cases to juvenile court.

Sharp confessed to police that, armed with a loaded handgun, he and his brother burst in through the back door of Watson's apartment after Parks created a diversion by knocking on Watson's front door.

Shakur Sharp held Watson and his friend Bailey Smith, 21, at gunpoint while James Sharp tied Watson's hands with a shoestring and then went to a closet to steal Watson's shotguns.

Watson jumped Shakur Sharp and the two struggled for the gun. Shakur Sharp said the gun started going off and Watson suffered five gunshot wounds before the two brothers ran off. Smith testified in the hearing Monday that she watched as Watson bled to death.

In closing arguments, Houston reminded Tabor about the nature of the crimes, the violence, plotting with others to rob Watson, using a gun and tying up Watson.

"No one should have to go through what Kaleb went through in his last moments on earth," she said.

Witnesses for Sharp testified about his hardships growing up. His mother abandoned him and his siblings on and off over the years, and he was raised in other households.

In those other households he received love, attention and structure, according to witnesses. He thrived. He did well in school, didn't get in trouble, enjoyed sports and took an interest in church activities.

But in the times when his mother re-entered his life, his grades dropped and he got into trouble.

"If Shakur had discipline and structure, this would never have happened because he wouldn't have had the time," his great-aunt Susan Burns said.

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State Desk on 10/04/2017

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