Utah Seventh District Court Judge George Harmond ruled earlier this month that Peter Simon Sharp is still incompetent to stand trial for allegedly killing his parents in 2009.
Sharp was charged with two counts of aggravated murder, a first degree felony and one count of aggravated assault, a second degree felony, following the Oct. 21, 2009 incident.
According to police reports, Sharp used a shotgun to kill his parents, William and Charmaine in their Castle Dale home. Four of Sharp’s nine siblings were in the home at the time of the murders. Two of the siblings attempted to wrestle the weapon away from him. Sometime soon after the shootings, Sharp reportedly aimed the gun at one of his sisters, leading to the aggravated assault charge.
Soon after being arrested for the crimes, Sharp was ordered to stand a mental health evaluation. Court records from 2011 indicate that the Emery County man may suffer from catatonic schizophrenia, intermittent explosive disorder and borderline intellectual functioning.
Judge Harmond ordered Sharp to be committed to the Utah State Hospital where he has been housed and treated for mental illness.
During a review hearing on Jan. 8, Harmond ruled that Sharp is still incompetent to stand trial at this time. The decision was based upon current mental health assessments.
Emery County Deputy County Attorney Brent Langston explained that cases similar in nature to Sharp’s require regular reviews and competency testing.
“If at any point he is found competent, then he will stand trial,” Langston advised. “The next trial review will be in 2015.”