Man Accused Of Killing 6-Yr.-Old Boy With Meat Cleaver Over “Video Games”
Posted August 14, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A ghastly case of murder and senseless motives has shocked a U.S. state that’s used to the extreme. Police in the California city of Thousand Oaks have arrested a cab driver accused of attacking and killing a six-year-old boy with a meat cleaver. The alleged reason for his rage? The child was playing too many video games.
The case began on Sunday night, when the mother of little Sev’n Molina tried desperately to prevent the blows from raining down on her only child. But authorities contend 27-year-old Calvin Sharp’s fury was just too strong and he couldn’t be stopped.
Sandra Ruiz and Sharp had apparently split up after living together for some time, when an argument broke out about how often the child sat in front of the TV playing video games. As startled neighbours would later recount, the boy burst out of the apartment and into the building’s courtyard, with Sharp holding a meat cleaver in hot pursuit. Witnesses heard him screaming “Die! Die!” as he allegedly began bludgeoning the helpless youngster.
Neighbours who tried to intervene maintain Sharp threatened them with the deadly blade, even as the attack continued. The 33-year-old Ruiz also suffered severe cuts, with reports indicating one of her hands was nearly severed by the blows.
Finally, a heroic older woman tackled the accused and two men jumped into the fray and were able to subdue him and hold him down for police. They were forced to Taser the man before taking him into custody.
An autopsy showed the boy died from sharp force head injuries, while his mother remains in critical condition on life support. Authorities believe it was a domestic dispute that went horribly wrong, but they can’t account for why the self-employed cab driver allegedly went into his rage and couldn’t seem to control himself. It’s expected he’ll be charged with first degree murder in the boy’s death and two counts of attempted murder, depending on whether the mother recovers.
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