Aaron Sharp Case: Manhunt, Guilty Plea, and Life Sentence

The Aaron Sharp case ended in June 2026 with a life sentence and no chance of parole for 70 years, after the 24-year-old Westerville man pleaded guilty to killing his brother and grandfather inside an East Cleveland home and shooting two police officers who responded to the scene.

What Happened on August 7, 2025

Just before 11 p.m., East Cleveland officers were called to a domestic dispute on the 1900 block of North Taylor Road. A family member met them outside and said Sharp had shot two relatives and was armed.¹

Inside, officers found Sharp’s 22-year-old brother, Erik Sharp, dead from gunshot wounds. His 82-year-old grandfather, Charlie Roscoe, had also been shot and died at the hospital. Prosecutors later said Sharp shot his brother upstairs, then went downstairs to shoot his grandfather, and that the killings were planned.²

As Officer Joshua Durda, a four-year veteran, approached the home, Sharp opened fire and hit him in the leg.³ Sharp fled on foot. Around 1 a.m., during the search, Officer Brandon Hernandez was shot in the buttocks near Euclid Avenue and North Taylor Road.⁴ Both officers had non-life-threatening injuries and were treated at University Hospitals. Neither had been able to return to police work by the June 2026 sentencing.⁵

The Manhunt and Arrest

The search ran about nine hours and pulled in agencies from across northeast Ohio, including the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s aerial unit with an infrared camera and a 40-member U.S. Marshals task force.³ Residents near the Town House Motel on Euclid Avenue were told to stay indoors.

Sharp had stripped off his clothing and wrapped himself in garbage bags to avoid being seen. Officers found him around 8 a.m. on August 8 behind a home near Shaw High School, at Shaw and Euclid avenues. U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott said Sharp charged at a task force member, who subdued him with a stun weapon. Bond was set at $3 million, and Sharp waived his preliminary hearing.⁴

The Charges

On August 19, 2025, a Cuyahoga County grand jury returned an 18-count indictment:¹

Two counts of aggravated murder
Four counts of murder
Two counts of attempted aggravated murder
Eight counts of felonious assault
Two counts of tampering with evidence

Mental Health and Prior Record

Sharp had no prior violent arrests. Court records showed traffic violations in Cleveland Municipal Court and a 2023 drug charge in Parma Municipal Court, to which he pleaded guilty. East Cleveland police said they had previous encounters with him but did not describe them.⁶

After his arrest, the court’s psychiatric clinic evaluated Sharp and found he likely has a form of schizophrenia. He was prescribed antipsychotic medication in custody.² His attorney, Maxwell Martin, described the diagnosis as an “unspecified schizophrenic spectrum disorder” and argued that untreated, undiagnosed mental illness played a significant role in the crimes.⁷

The Plea and the Sentence

In early June 2026, Sharp pleaded guilty to murder, attempted aggravated murder of a peace officer, and weapons charges.⁵ On June 17, 2026, Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Judge John Spellacy sentenced him to life in prison, with the first parole opportunity after 70 years. Additional prison time on the weapons offenses was ordered to run consecutively.²

Sharp told the court he had been in a mental health crisis. “I blacked out,” he said. “I wish I could have gotten help.”²

Assistant Prosecutor Jeffrey Schnatter told the court the crimes were separate, deliberate acts. After shooting his brother, Schnatter said, Sharp had the chance to leave but went to another part of the house to shoot his grandfather. Schnatter also said there had been no confrontation with the officers before Sharp fired on them.²

Judge Spellacy acknowledged that untreated mental illness and easy access to a firearm had enabled the violence, but told Sharp that mental illness “is not a legal excuse for your actions.”²

Sharp’s mother, Melisa Roscoe, spoke at the hearing. She apologized to the wounded officers and to everyone affected, and told the judge she had lost her father and one of her sons that night. “Please take into consideration, that was not my son that day,” she said. “I don’t know who that person was, but that was not my son. I’ve never met that person a day in my life.”⁷

The Victims

Charlie Roscoe IV, born February 18, 1943, was 82. He was an American veteran and owned the Honey Do Club, a bar in East Cleveland, and was widely known in the community.⁸ Family remembered him for his generosity and for childhood outings to the circus and Harlem Globetrotters games.⁹

Erik Sharp, born February 20, 2003, was 22. Former teachers at Prospect Elementary recalled him as charismatic and a natural leader. He left behind at least one child.¹⁰ The community held a candlelight vigil and balloon release at Small Park on Thornhill Road, where East Cleveland Mayor Lateek Shabazz addressed residents who had grown up with the family.⁸

1
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor. Aaron Sharp Indicted for Killing Two Family Members, Shooting Two East Cleveland Officers
2
Cleveland.com. Man Who Admitted to Killing Family, Shooting East Cleveland Cops Gets Life Sentence
3
FOX 8 Cleveland. East Cleveland Officers Shot and Wounded
4
WAVE 3 News. Two Officers Shot by Man Who Also Killed His Family Members
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Cleveland 19. Sentencing for Man Who Killed Brother, Grandfather, Shot Two East Cleveland Police Officers
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FOX 8 Cleveland. Man Accused of Shooting Local Officers Due in Court
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FOX 8 Cleveland. Mother Speaks at Sentencing for Man Who Killed Grandfather, Brother, Shot Two East Cleveland Officers
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Cleveland 19. Vigil Set for Victim of Mass Shooting That Left Two Dead, Two East Cleveland Police Officers Injured
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Gaines Funeral Home. Charlie Roscoe IV Obituary
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Gaines Funeral Home. Erik Sharp Obituary