Mo. rape suspect accused of plotting to have alleged victim killed

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) -- A St. Joseph man charged with beating and raping a woman last year is now accused of offering $12,000 to have her killed, authorities said.

Eric A. Sharp, 46, is already in jail in northwest Missouri and charged with raping a casino worker in June. He was charged Thursday with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in what prosecutors said was a plot hatched with a fellow Buchanan County Jail inmate.

The planned murder was never carried out, and police Sgt. Curtis Howard said the other inmate has not been charged in the alleged plot.

According to court records, the two men plotted the woman's killing between Jan. 20 and Feb. 12, and Sharp provided the accomplice with a physical description of the woman and her vehicle. Sharp allegedly signed the bill of sale for his 1995 Pontiac Sunfire as partial payment.

St. Joseph Police said Sharp knew the victim from the Terrible's St. Jo Frontier Casino, where he was a regular customer. Prosecutors allege that on June 17, he followed the 23-year-old woman to her home, where he attacked and raped her.

The woman escaped, and Sharp was arrested two days later in Cameron.

Sharp was first charged with sexual assault, which was upgraded to felony rape based on DNA evidence. Sharp's attorney withdrew from the case in December, alleging use of abusive language by his client.

The new charge carries a $100,000 bond.

According to court documents, Sharp said that if he bonds out and "has a full tank of gas ... (he) is gone."

Sharp is scheduled to appear on the rape charge on Feb. 22 in Buchanan County Circuit Court.

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Information from: St. Joseph News-Press, http://www.stjoenews-press.com