The Murder of Robert Sharp
For this case I watched another episode of The Murder Tapes, there is a brand new season on Discovery Plus. It’s season 5 episode 4, titled ‘What’s In the Backpack?’
A retired chemistry professor is found dead in his home.
Background
Robert Sharp was described as very smart and funny person. He began working at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in 1969, and retired in 2008.
Robert’s son David, said that Robert enjoyed spending the afternoons with his wife Maria, and they would often go to the local Wendy’s. Sadly, Maria passed away from cancer in April 2018, just two months before Robert was killed.
Robert and Maria
The Murder
On June 10, 2018, a woman called 911 around 9:40pm. She said she was a friend of Robert’s, and had tried to get a hold of him. She said she drove passed his house, and saw that there was a newspaper on his front step and the door was slightly opened. The police asked her if she wanted them to do a welfare check, and she said yes.
The police arrived to Robert’s home. They immediately noticed a very strong smell of smoke, a fire had occurred in the basement. They called the fire department before continuing their investigation.
When the fire department arrived, they broke the window to the basement, and on the body cam footage they are heard saying “there’s a hand.”
Robert Sharp was found in his basement. The police said that he was “literally cut in half.” Robert was brutally attacked, he had been stabbed 28 times. Seventeen of the wounds were slashes, and 11 were stab wounds. He had also been covered in newspapers and clothing for a fire to be set to cover up the evidence.
Robert was positively identified when the police found a credit card near his feet.
A Bloody Scene
The police searched the rest of the home, which was covered in blood. Robert had been first attacked in his kitchen, and then dragged down to the basement.
The police canvassed the area for any bloody towels or rags. While searching the garbage, they did find a note from one of Robert’s neighbors. The neighbor had borrowed a wheelbarrow, and ended the note by saying ‘see you tonight.’ However, the neighbor had nothing to do with the murder, she had actually borrowed the wheelbarrow.
The police also questioned the 911 caller, who had been friends with Robert and his wife for years. The woman said she came by the house because she hadn’t from heard from Robert. She again told them that she saw a newspaper on his front step, and saw that the door was opened.
The police didn’t know if the woman was the killer or just a concerned front. They told her that Robert was dead, and she was very emotional. The woman was eliminated as a suspect.
A Robbery
On June 6, just days before Robert was killed, he called 911 to report that his home had been broken into.
The call was played, and he said he noticed one his drawers had been rummaged through, and a few items were missing. The dispatcher asked Robert how the person had gained entrance, and he said through his back door, which he thought had been locked.
The police were able to see Robert’s interaction with the responding officers from June 6. They had their body cam footage rolling that night. Robert told the police that his spare car keys had been taken, but his car was still there. He also said several Roku items and two laptops were missing, but his credit cards were still there.
The Local Wendy’s
The police knew that Robert was a regular at Wendy’s, they thought Robert could have been targeted by someone there.
They ran a background check on each employee, and discovered that a man named Isom Hamilton was currently on parole for a home invasion case. He also had a lengthy criminal history for several various charges and misdemeanors.
The police brought Isom in for questioning, who they described as stone cold. They asked him if he knew of anyone who had been talking about wanting to rob Robert. He said no, no one had anything bad to say about him. They asked Isom if he did it, and he said no.
The police searched for surveillance footage to track Isom’s whereabouts. On the night of the murder, Isom had gone into a Speedway, near Robert’s home. Isom walks into the connivence store in a gray shirt, jeans and two backpacks. The police immediately noticed that Isom’s jeans were stained. At one point, Isom opens the backpack, which contained several Roku items.
Tracking A Killer
Isom had been staying at his grandmother’s, and they brought her in for questioning.
She told them that Isom had been staying with her since the end of February, and that she started noticing some bizarre things. She said Isom had an Apple computer, which she knew he didn’t have the money for. She asked him about it, but he said that someone had sold him the computer.
They asked her about the Roku items, and she said Isom had three boxes worth of items. The police asked her if she had noticed any stained clothing. She said yes, he had come home late a few weeks ago, and had blood on his jeans, below the knee area. She said she had asked him about it, and he told her that it wasn’t his blood and he had gotten into a scuffle.
The police obtained a search warrant for Isom’s grandma’s home. Inside the home, they found the clothing he had been wearing the surveillance footage.
The police surveilled Isom, and ran Robert’s financial records. Isom had tried to transfer some money from Robert’s credit card account to his account, at 12:30am on the night of the murder. It declined. Isom’s cell phone also pinged off a cell tower near Robert’s home for two hours.
Arrest and Conviction
On June 27, 2018, the police arrested Isom Hamilton, while he was at a park. Isom had the backpack from the surveillance footage, and inside were Robert’s laptops.
Isom was charged with first degree murder, arson, home invasion and mutilation of a dead body.
He was convicted on everything but the home invasion. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The judge called him vile, a he was a danger to society, and that would never be freed. Isom showed absolutely no emotion.
Isom tried to appeal his conviction, but it was denied.
Isom Hamilton
Isom in court
FINAL THOUGHTS
Another case where an innocent person is killed because of greed. Isom must have watched Robert while he worked at Wendy’s, or somehow knew that Robert had items that he wanted. The judge and police were right, Isom is a danger to society, and he’s an awful human being.
I hope Robert was reunited with Maria, even though his family wishes that he was still with them. I hope they are happy knowing that Isom will never get out of prison.
Sources
https://thecinemaholic.com/robert-sharp-murder-where-is-isom-hamilton-now/
https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/murdered-retired-u-m-professor-was-slashed-and-cut-28-times
