Michael Eugene Sharp (April 24, 1954 – November 19, 1997) was an American serial killer who abducted and killed two women and one girl in West Texas in 1982, but is thought to be responsible for at least two further murders.
The victim survived and her testimony led to his identification and arrest only a few days later, with Sharp subsequently being convicted and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for two counts of aggravated robbery and theft by check.
From this, one plausible link was established between him and the murders of 26-year-old William Lawrence McNew and 20-year-old Tammy Lee Davis, who were found buried in shallow graves near Andrews on May 13, after being reported missing in February.
The police also suspected that he might have been involved in the disappearance of 18-year-old Blanca Isela Arreola Guerrero in May, a pregnant food store employee who was last seen boarding a truck similar to Sharp's, but for the time being, they were unable to link him to this crime either.
The horrifying nature of the crime and the harrowing description provided by Selena led the jury to unanimously agree on a guilty verdict, but the court accepted a motion by Sharp's attorney, Robert C. Wright, to reduce the murder charges.
Sharp eventually relented and drew a map that led to Guerrero's gravesite and promised to reveal information on other killings as long as his identity was withheld from the media to protect his family.
[11] After three and a half hours of deliberations, the jurors returned a guilty verdict, which subsequently resulted in a death sentence for Sharp, who professed his innocence in the murders.
"[13] In contrast, Sharp's attorney questioned the veracity of his client's supposed guilt and alleged procedural errors during the trial due to which he and his family had received death threats from anonymous callers.