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| Sharpe's Writings |
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Letters to Daughter | | |
In several handwritten letters to his oldest child, 27-year-old Shannon, Richard Sharpe says he misses his slain wife and "would do anything to have this nightmare go away and have our family back."
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Prison Escape Plan | | |
In this note, Sharpe describes how accomplices should break him out of custody during a visit to Massachusetts General Hospital.
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| Witness Affidavits |
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James Hatfield's Affidavit | | |
The brother of Karen Sharpe says he watched as Richard Sharpe entered his sister's home, pointed a rifle at her and pulled the trigger as the Sharpe children lay on the couch.
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Christine Regan's Affidavit | | |
Hatfield's girlfriend also describes witnessing the shooting and says that moments later 7-year-old Michael Sharpe said, "Why did my father shoot my mother? Why did he do that? I never want to see my father again."
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| The Marriage |
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Marriage License | | |
The former Karen Hatfield and then-electrician Richard Sharpe married Sept. 1, 1973, in Shelton, Conn., at the ages of 17 and 18, respectively.
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Restraining Order Affidavit | | |
Before her death, Karen Sharpe explains that she finally left her husband after decades of adultery and physical abuse because she believed he was "unstable enough to commit homicide."
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Supplement Affidavit | | |
This supplemental document provides additional information by Karen Sharpe regarding her husband's cross-dressing, stating that Richard Sharpe has "transvestite tendencies," has taken birth control pills and had his body hair removed.
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Court Order Affidavit | | |
This document, written to oppose Richard Sharpe's request for more visitation rights, alleges that Sharpe was an inattentive father whose children did not look forward to seeing.
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| The Children |
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Testing Affidavit | | |
Shannon Sharpe, 27, describes years of alleged physical abuse by her father, a man she was only allowed to call by his first name, according to this document. She asks the court to deny Richard Sharpe's motion to have her young siblings psychologically tested as part of his effort to re-establish contact with them.
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Shannon's Custody Affidavit | | |
Richard Sharpe's eldest child petitions the court to award temporary custody of her younger siblings to her aunt and uncle, and asks that no notice be given to her incarcerated father out of fear that he would harm them.
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Aunt's Custody Affidavit | | |
Kathleen Lembo, Karen Sharpe's sister, requests temporary custody of Michael and Alexandra Sharpe in conjunction with her husband, an ordained minister, and Shannon Sharpe.
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Child Psychologist's Affidavit | | |
New Haven psychologist Kelly Tahaney-Weber recommends that 7-year-old Michael and 4-year-old Alexandra Sharpe have no contact with their father.
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Preschool Teacher's Affidavit | | |
Karen Beswick, Alexandra and Michael's teacher at Shannah Montessori School in Magnolia, Mass., urges the court to deny Sharpe's visitation request.
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Sylvia Cohen's Affidavit | | |
A psychologist brought in to counsel the young Sharpe children in the days after Karen Sharpe's murder, Cohen recommends no contact with their father.
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| Civil Suit |
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Wrongful Death Suit | | |
In these documents, the estate of Karen Sharpe sues the millionaire doctor for wrongful death, and a superior court judge grants a motion to freeze his assets in the meantime.
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| Prosecution's Filings |
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Motion for Viewing | | |
Prosecutors ask the court for permission to bring jurors to key locations in the trial, including the defendant's home and the site of the murder.
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Bill of Particulars | | |
This state filing outlines the specifics of the July 14, 2000 shooting, which charges that manner and means Sharpe committed murder "was to deliberate premeditate with malice."
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| Defense's Filings |
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Prospective Witness List | | |
Though not required to call any witnesses, the defense submitted more than two dozen names of potential witnesses they may call to the stand.
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Medical Record Motion | | |
In this motion, the defense opposes a state motion to admit medical records into evidence showing that Richard Sharpe was involuntarily committed to a psychiatric facility in 1991.
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| The Court |
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The Indictment | | |
A Massachusetts grand jury indicted Sharpe for murder on August 20, 2000.
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Dr. Richard Sharpe, a millionaire dermatologist with a penchant for cross-dressing, admits he killed his wife Karen — but claimed insanity. The jury rejected that claim and convicted him of murder.
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Prison Escape Plan
In this handwritten note to a friend, Sharpe details his plan to escape from prison during a doctor's visit
Letters to Daughter
In several handwritten letters to his oldest child, 27-year-old Shannon, Richard Sharpe says he misses his slain wife
Brother's Affidavit
Karen Sharpe's brother says he watched as Richard Sharpe pointed a rifle at her and pulled the trigger as the Sharpe children lay on the couch
Victim's Affidavit
Before her death, Karen Sharpe says what pushed her to finally leave her cheating, abusive husband was her fear that he was "unstable enough to commit homicide."
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