Arkansan serving life in home invasion rape gets 40 more years after guilty plea in sex assault of girl

James Eugene Sharp
James Eugene Sharp

A 33-year-old Hot Springs man sentenced earlier this year to life in prison for a crime described by prosecutors as "every woman's worst nightmare" was sentenced Monday to another 40 years after pleading guilty to raping a 12-year-old girl.

James Eugene Sharp also pleaded guilty to third-degree domestic battery and was sentenced to six years for that crime, the Hot Springs Sentinel-Record reported Wednesday.

The 12-year-old victim told investigators last year that Sharp had molested her numerous times. His DNA, obtained by police as part of that investigation, later matched that of a rapist who in 2013 entered a stranger's home through a window and threatened the victim with a weapon before assaulting her, authorities said.

Chief Deputy Prosecutor Joe Graham said the home invasion rape "would have never been solved" if the girl hadn't come forward, the newspaper reported.

Sharp was first tried in the home invasion case and found guilty after a one-day trial in June that resulted in the life term. A second rape trial in the case involving the juvenile victim had been set for Tuesday before Sharp entered the plea.

Click here to read the full story in the Sentinel-Record and read Thursday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

ADVERTISEMENT

More headlines

Upcoming Events