VENTURA COUNTY, CA - A man in his twenties who admitted to killing his 15-year-old brother with a pickaxe could end up spending the rest of his life in prison.
The suspect, 26-year-old Zuberi Sharp, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in connection with the 2024 death of his half-brother, 15-year-old Zayde Koehohou, Law & Crime reported. A press release from the Ventura County District Attorney's Office said that on Tuesday, May 5, Sharp was sentenced to 15 years to life.
The DA said Sharp admitted to the murder and the special allegations "that he personally inflicted great bodily injury, along with aggravating factors that he used a weapon in the commission of the crime and that the victim was particularly vulnerable."
Sharp's uncle told police he heard a "thud" as he walked to a shed at the family's home in Newbury Park, California, on December 5, 2024. The uncle knew Sharp and Zayde were both in the shed, and he was walking there to go "check on the boys."
When the uncle looked inside the shed, he saw, "Sharp standing over Zayde holding a pickaxe." The boys' mother called 911, and Sharp fled the scene. He was later found naked in a high school football field, where he was arrested without further incident. He also had the murder weapon with him, according to authorities.
Deputies from the Ventura County Sheriff's Office arrived at the home to find Zayde's mother cradling her son in her lap. Zayde, who had cerebral palsy, suffered severe wounds to his head and died before reaching the hospital.
The boys' mother explained that Sharp suffered from mental health issues and "didn't know what he was doing." She insisted that Sharp "loves his brothers, my boys loved each other."
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