ANN ARBOR, Mich. – An ex-convict caught with electronics stolen from a retired professor has been convicted of his murder.
A Washtenaw County judge on Thursday returned the verdict against Isom Hamilton.
ORIGINAL STORY: Ann Arbor police: Retired University of Michigan professor Robert Sharp found dead in home
Hamilton was defiant from the moment he entered entered the Washtenaw County courtoom. Wearing prescription sunglasses, Hamilton scoffed as the facts of the case were laid out. Robert Sharp, a former chemistry professor at the University of Michigan, was repeatedly stabbed at his Ann Arbor home a year ago. His body was burned after he was killed.
Hamilton’s DNA and fingerprints weren’t found at the scene, which was a key point made by defense lawyers. But prosecutors claim he wore gloves and covered his tracks.
Sharp regularly ate lunch at an Ann Arbor Wendy’s where Hamilton worked. The victim’s missing electronics were found in Hamilton’s possession.
Hamilton maintained his innocence just before receiving a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole. He said the only thing he was guilty of was possession of stolen property.