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Man convicted of murdering UM professor sentenced to life in prison without parole

Posted at 6:26 AM, Jun 28, 2019
and last updated 2019-06-28 18:17:00-04

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (WXYZ) — A man convicted of murdering a University of Michigan professor was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Hamilton was found guilty of multiple felony charges in the death of 77-year-old Robert Sharp. Sharp was found dead with multiple stab wounds inside his Ann Arbor home last June.

Investigators say Hamilton broke into Sharp's home twice before killing him. He was charged with open murder, armed robbery, first degree home arson, home invasion and mutilated dead body.

During the sentencing, Sharp's son David told the court, “Just months before the murder, Mr. Hamilton was paroled on a similar crime. Although he had gainful employment, decided to stop working and take to steaming again. He robbed my father twice and the second time progressed to murder and mutilation. Not only that, set a fire to cover his tracks.”

In court, it was also revealed that Hamilton similarly robbed and served time for threatening an Eastern Michigan University professor in 2012.

"It will haunt me forever that my father’s life came down to this," David Sharp said. "I’d like Mr. Hamilton to know my father was a beloved family member, the man who raised me and taught me to be a man, was found bludgeoned to death and it took him minutes to bleed out.”

Witnesses say Hamilton once worked at a Wendy's where he became familiar with Sharp and his late wife, before allegedly breaking into his home twice and stealing his laptop.

Sharp was a retired Chemistry professor for the University of Michigan Chemistry Department and began his career with the university in 1969.