Man charged in slayings of his parents

Charges were filed Friday against the son of a Castle Dale couple found shot and killed in their home Wednesday.

Peter Sharp, 26, was charged with two counts of aggravated murder, a first-degree felony, and one count of aggravated assault, a third-degree felony, in the slayings of his father, William Sharp, 51, and his mother, Charmaine Sharp, 54.

The shootings occurred around 9 a.m. Wednesday at the family's Castle Dale home, 110 N. 400 East.

Two 911 calls came from the home the morning of the shootings. The first call was cut off before the dispatcher could talk to anyone, but the dispatcher was able to use GPS to get an address for the call, the charges state. A second call came in moments later, and one of the Sharps' daughters told dispatchers she "believed her brother had just shot their parents."

When officers responded, they could hear screaming coming from inside the home, and when they approached the door, four children came running out from the home, the charges state. The children told police they had succeeded in taking the gun away from their brother but that he had left the residence on foot. One brother, identified as "the older boy," told police Peter Sharp had shot their father while he was in bed.

Police found Charmaine Sharp first, lying on the floor near the kitchen table with a gunshot wound to the head, according to the charges. William Sharp was found in the bedroom, partially on the bed. Police also found a shotgun in the home, leaning against a couch in the living room.

After allegedly shooting his parents, prosecutors say Peter Sharp also pointed a gun at his 12-year-old sister.

Police later located Sharp walking on Main Street.

Kelly Sharp, an uncle of Peter Sharp, told the Deseret News that his nephew has suffered from some sort of mental illness following a truck accident that resulted in a head injury.

"He's been a real confused young man since then," Kelly Sharp said. "He just kind of wanders around like he doesn't know what's going on."

Peter Sharp is being held without bail in the Emery County Jail and is set to appear before a judge Oct. 27.

e-mail: emorgan@desnews.com