Man gets 40 years in St. Joe rape, murder plot

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) -- A 41-year-old man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for the rape and murder conspiracy of a casino employee in St. Joseph.

Buchanan County Circuit Court Judge Dan Kellogg on Tuesday ordered Eric A. Sharp to spend 30 years in prison for raping the woman and another 10 years for plotting to kill her.

Prosecutors said Sharp followed the victim home from Terrible's St. Jo Frontier Casino and raped her in June 2006, threatening to harm her daughter if she did not allow the rape.

Last month jurors heard Sharp say in a taped conversation in jail that he wanted his victim killed by another prisoner so his trial would end. Sharp also said on the tape that he wanted the body dumped in a pig sty where all the remains would be consumed.

The St. Joseph News-Press: http://www.stjoenews-press.com