John Sharpe (Australian murderer)

Infobox Criminal
subject_name = John Myles Sharpe


image_size = 180px
image_caption = John Myles Sharpe
date_of_birth = Birth date and age|1967|2|28|mf=y
place_of_birth = Australia
date_of_death =
place_of_death =
alias =
charge = Murder
penalty = Life imprisonment
status =
occupation = Conveyancer
spouse = Anna
parents =
children = Gracie

John Myles Sharpe (born February 28, 1967) is an Australian double murderer, currently serving life imprisonment for the murders of his pregnant wife, Anna, and his nineteen month old child, Gracie, in the Melbourne suburb of Mornington in March, 2004.

Sharpe fired a spear gun into the heads of his victims, and would later exhume the body of his wife, dismember her, then disposed of her body in a landfill. Claiming his innocence, he would later appear on national television in emotional interviews seeking information on his family's whereabouts.

Sharpe eventually confessed to the murders and was sentenced in 2005 to life imprisonment, with a minimum non-parole period of 33 years. He will be eligible for parole in 2037. The nature and events of the crime were in the words of the sentencing judge "too awful to contemplate" [http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/vic/VSC/2005/276.html R v Sharpe VSC 276] Supreme Court of Victoria, August 5, 2005] .

Early life

Sharpe met his wife, Anna Kemp, when they worked together at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. Anna was four years his senior. They married in October 1994 and lived together in various locations around the Melbourne suburb of Mornington. Their daughter Gracie Louise Sharpe was born August, 2002 .

In 2003 Sharpe purchased a spear gun from a local dealer, plus a second spear. He had not previously been interested in spear fishing, and was known to have test fired the gun in his backyard only once .

On March 21 2004, Sharpe and his family attended a birthday function for a nephew. Family members reported no arguments of any kind on this day.

Murder of Anna Sharpe

On March 23 2004, Sharpe and his wife argued before retiring to bed about 10pm. He later left the bed and proceeded to his backyard garage to retrieve the spear gun. Returning to the bedroom, Sharpe fired the spear into his wife's head at point blank range. Noticing his wife was still breathing, Sharpe fired a second spear into her head, killing her. Anna was five months pregnant at the time.

He then covered the body in towels and went downstairs to sleep on a sofa. The next day, Sharpe attempted to remove the spears from his wife's head but failed, removing only the shafts. He then buried his wife in a shallow grave in their backyard .

Five days after burying his wife he dug her up, after visiting his local warehouse to purchase a chainsaw. He cut her up into three pieces and wrapped her in a blue plastic sheet and took her body to the local tip. .

Murder of Gracie Sharpe

On March 27, 2004 Sharpe put Gracie to bed in her cot and then drank several glasses of whisky. He retrieved the spear gun from the garage, loaded it with a newly acquired spear which he fired at her head, penetrating her skull. With his child screaming loudly after suffering horrendous injury, Sharpe retrieved the two spear shafts which he had earlier removed from his wife’s head and returned to Gracie’s bedroom. He fired both into Gracie's head, but realising she was still alive, he withdrew one spear from his child's head and fired again, killing her .

Disposal of evidence

On March 29, 2004, Sharpe visited a local Bunnings Warehouse store where he purchased a roll of duct tape, two tarpaulins and a chainsaw. The following day he exhumed the body of his wife and dismembered it into three pieces. He wrapped her remains in a tarpaulin and disposed of them in a nearby waste disposal site .

Missing persons

On March 29, 2004, Sharpe sent a forged e-mail to Anna's family in New Zealand to create the impression Anna was alive and well. Rather than comfort the family, his e-mail raised further concerns, and Anna's mother reported her disappearance to police in Dunedin. Sharpe later told police that Anna had moved to nearby Melbourne suburb of Chelsea with their daughter, and denied any knowledge or involvement in her disappearance. He also arranged for flowers in the name of his wife to be delivered to his mother-in-law on her birthday .

During May 2004, Sharpe gave several media interviews, and appeared on national television speaking of his wife and child's disappearance. Sharpe said he had spoken to his wife a week earlier and he asked for anyone with information to come forward .

Arrest

On June 22, 2004 police arrested Sharpe. During his first interview he continued to deny any knowledge of their whereabouts, but in a subsequent interview admitted to both murders. Police undertook a massive search lasting three weeks of the Mornington landfill site, finally locating both bodies .

Guilty plea

Sharpe appeared in the Supreme Court of Victoria where he was arraigned and pleaded guilty to the murders of Anna and Grace Sharpe. On August 5 2005 the Supreme Court of Victoria sentenced Sharpe to life imprisonment, with a minimum non-parole period of 33 years. Sharpe resides in protective custody while imprisoned due to threats on his life from fellow prisoners .

House sale

In February, 2006, the house belonging to the Sharpes, located in Prince St, Mornington, was advertised for sale. Described as a "charming seaside dream home", the house was purchased by the Sharpes for AUD$390,000 several weeks before the murders [http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,18040754-2862,00.html House of horror for sale] , Sunday Herald Sun, February 5, 2006] .

ee also

*List of Australian criminals

References

External links

* [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10367012 Speargun double-murder house offered for sale]