The victim of a brutal ax murder in Ventura County earlier this week has been identified as the suspect’s brother, his family confirmed late Friday.
Zaide Keohouho, 15, was killed Thursday by her brother Zuberi Sharp, 24, in the 400 block of Jeanne Court in an unincorporated area near Newbury Park, authorities and the victim’s family said. .
“We can confirm that the deceased was our grandson, Zaid, 15 years old,” his grandfather, Gary Keohouho, said in a short statement Friday night. “Thank you for the outpouring of love, aloha, support and prayers from our friends and Ohana in this wonderful community.”
Sharp was arrested Thursday night after he was spotted running naked on the Newbury Park High School football field, leading to a lockdown as some students were still on the grounds, authorities said. Sheriff’s deputies chasing Sharp said he was armed with an axe, according to radio recordings of the incident. Deputies also suggested the ax may have been involved in Jeanne Court’s death, according to the audio clip.
Sharp was arrested Thursday around 8 p.m. and faces murder charges, according to jail records. He is scheduled to appear in court Monday morning, but prosecutors have not yet formally charged him with murder in the case. Authorities referred all questions to the Sheriff’s Department.
On Thursday, sheriff’s deputies responded to a 911 call on Jeanne Court and found a “male juvenile” suffering from “severe trauma,” according to a news release from the sheriff’s office. The victim was pronounced dead at the hospital a short time later. Officials said Sharp was identified as a suspect almost immediately and taken into custody.
Neither authorities nor Zaid’s family have revealed a motive for the killing. Zaid’s aunt said on a GoFundMe page seeking donations for the boy’s funeral costs that her nephew was a “beautiful soul who was the heart of our family.”
“He loved music, was a drummer, and gave me a warm, all-encompassing hug,” she wrote.
Authorities have not confirmed that Zaid was the victim in the incident, and a sheriff’s office spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment Saturday morning.
The brutal killing is eerily similar to the murder to which Sharpe’s father confessed. Calvin Sharp used a butcher knife to kill 6-year-old boy Seven Molina in August 2007, then told investigators he sent messages over XM satellite radio ordering him to attack the child and stab the boy’s mother. He told Ventura County that he had received it. The Star reported at the time.
Prosecutors said in the indictment that Calvin Sharp went to Sandra Lewis’ apartment with the intention of forcing her to perform sex acts. The two had been dating but broke up about six months before the attack. Zuberi-Sharp attended the same kindergarten as the boy whose father killed him.
Calvin Sharpe pleaded guilty in 2009, but a years-long legal battle ensued over whether he was competent to stand trial. Ultimately, the judge found him sane and Calvin Sharp was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Ventura County Sheriff’s Sergeant John Johnson said local authorities found Zuberi-Sharp trapped in a storm drain hours after a collision with his brother hours before they found him murdered. Monica Smith. The man was rescued about 1 p.m. Thursday near the intersection of Borchard Road and Reino Road, about a half-mile from the murder scene.
Ventura County Fire Department spokesman Andrew Dowd said Sharp was trapped in a storm drain about three feet below the ground. He was taken to a hospital for tests, but Dowd could not provide further details.
Smith could not say exactly when the killing occurred or confirm that the weapon used in the attack was an axe.
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