Man charged in parents' deaths appears in court

Peter Simon Sharp, the Castle Dale man charged with gunning down his parents, made his first court appearance Tuesday before 7th District Judge George Harmond.

Sharp was informed about the criminal charges against him and the potential penalties, then was found indigent and was appointed a court-appointed attorney, David M. Allred. The judge also continued a "no bail" hold on Sharp, who is being held in the Emery County Jail.

Sharp, 26, is charged with two counts of aggravated murder, both first-degree felonies, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a third-degree felony. The charges stem from an Oct. 21 incident at his family's Castle Dale home where Sharp is accused of killing his mother, Charmaine Sharp, 54, and father, William Sharp, 51.

Kelly Sharp, one of Peter Sharp's uncles, told the Deseret News that Sharp endured a serious head injury in a truck accident some time ago and appears to have become confused and not fully functional since then.

Peter Sharp's next court date is Nov. 3.

— Linda Thomson