Press Releases
11/02/2022
Jury Convicts Marlborough Man of Kidnapping Charges Related to 1984 Cold Cases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Rocky Hill, CT) - Chief State’s Attorney Patrick J. Griffin announced that Michael Sharpe was found guilty today by a jury of felony charges related to the kidnappings and sexual assaults of four women in Connecticut dating back to 1984.
Sharpe, 71, of Marlborough, was convicted of eight counts of Kidnapping in the First Degree following a trial in Hartford Superior Court. The Honorable Frank M. D'Addabbo, Jr. set Sharpe’s bond in the amount of $2.5 million. Sentencing is scheduled for January 9, 2023.
Sharpe’s conviction was the result of an extensive investigation by the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney’s Cold Case Unit that included the use of forensic genetic genealogy.
“Today’s jury verdict is the result of countless hours of hard work by dedicated investigators and prosecutors in the Cold Case Unit who never, ever give up their search for justice for the victims of unimaginable crimes,” Chief State’s Attorney Griffin said. “This conviction shows that the Cold Case Unit remains committed to these difficult cases and will embrace the latest advances in forensic science and other innovative means to hold perpetrators accountable so that victims and their families are provided some measure of peace.”
According to trial testimony, Sharpe kidnapped four women and sexually assaulted them in separate incidents in Bloomfield on June 3, 1984, in Middletown on June 26, 1984, in Windsor on July 21, 1984 and in Rocky Hill on July 24, 1984. In addition to sexually assaulting the victims, testimony showed Sharpe brandished a firearm while breaking into and robbing the homes during the commission of the four kidnappings.
After years of not being able to match DNA found at the crime scene with samples in DNA databases, investigators were able to develop Sharpe as a suspect in these crimes using publicly available genealogy information. In November 2020, investigators retrieved Sharpe’s DNA from items found in trash left on the curb at Sharpe’s Marlborough home. The DNA found on those items matched the suspect in the four 1984 sexual assaults. A search and seizure warrant was issued to obtain confirmatory saliva secretions and buccal cell samples from Sharpe. Those samples matched the suspect in the four 1984 sexual assaults.
“We would like to thank the jury for considering all the evidence that was presented at trial,” said Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney John F. Fahey, head of the Cold Case Unit, who prosecuted the case with Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Robin Krawczyk. “It’s been a long 38 years for these victims to finally get justice.”
The Cold Case Unit is grateful for the assistance in this investigation from the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, including the Connecticut State Police and Division of Scientific Services, Bode Technology, the Connecticut Department of Correction and the Hartford, Bloomfield, Rocky Hill, Middletown and Windsor Police Departments. These agencies devoted countless hours toward this investigation. Their use of cutting-edge technology played a major role in identifying the defendant and bringing him to justice.
The Cold Case Unit is comprised of prosecutors and investigators from the Division of Criminal Justice who work closely on cold cases with the Connecticut State Police and municipal police departments. The Cold Case Unit in the Office of the Chief State's Attorney currently includes Inspectors from the Division of Criminal Justice as well as investigators from the Hartford Police Department, Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Department of Correction.