Zuberi Sharp, 26, of California has pleaded guilty to second‑degree murder in the killing of his 15‑year‑old half‑brother, Zayde Koehohou, who was attacked with a pickaxe inside a converted shed at their Newbury Park home on December 5, 2024. The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office said Sharp and Zayde were in the shed behind the house when their uncle heard a “thud” and went to check on them, only to find Sharp standing over Zayde while holding the pickaxe.
What happened during the attack
After the uncle discovered the scene, Zayde’s mother, Jante Keohohou, called 911 around 8 p.m. Before deputies arrived, Sharp fled the property and was later found naked at a nearby high school, still holding the ax. When officers reached the home, Keohohou was cradling her son in her lap; Zayde, who had cerebral palsy, suffered multiple severe head wounds and died before reaching the hospital.
Family context and mental health angle
Local reporting notes that Sharp appeared to have mental‑health issues and had been rescued from a storm drain just hours before the killing. Zayde’s mother later told a local outlet that her older son “didn’t know what he was doing” and emphasized that Sharp “loves his brothers” and “my boys loved each other.” Sharp is also the son of Calvin Sharp, a man convicted of killing a 6‑year‑old boy with a meat cleaver in 2007.
Legal outcome
Sharp pleaded guilty not only to second‑degree murder but also to special‑circumstances enhancements, including the attack on a vulnerable person because of Zayde’s disability. He is scheduled to be formally sentenced on May 5, with the plea likely carrying a lengthy prison term, though the exact sentence has not yet been announced.
