Michael Eugene Sharp was born on April 24, 1954, in Eastland, Texas.

Michael Eugene Sharp's first known crime occurred in March 1975 when he broke into a woman's home, tied her up, and stole her belongings. The victim survived and identified him. Sharp was arrested a few days later and convicted of aggravated robbery and theft by check. He received a 15-year prison sentence but was granted early parole in mid-1979. After his release, he moved to Odessa, Texas, where he got a job and seemed to live a respectable life.

On June 14, 1982, Sharp kidnapped Brenda Broadway and her two daughters, Selena and Christie Elms, from a car wash in Kermit, Texas. He threatened them with a knife and forced them into his truck. He took them to a remote area where he committed violent acts against them. During the ordeal, Selena managed to escape and ran five miles to seek help. She provided police with descriptions of the suspect and the location of the attack. The bodies of Brenda and Christie were later discovered buried nearby.

The day after the murders, police issued a warrant for Sharp’s arrest. He had fled the area but was apprehended soon after in Sweetwater, Texas, while trying to board a bus to Louisiana. Sharp was charged with two counts of murder and one count of kidnapping and was held without bail for the murder charges.

Following his arrest, investigators looked into other unsolved cases that might be connected to Sharp. They explored potential links to the murders of William McNew and Tammy Davis, who had been reported missing and later found dead. There were also suspicions about him being involved in the disappearance of Blanca Guerrero, a pregnant woman.

Sharp's murder trial began with a focus on Christie's murder. Selena testified against him, describing what had happened during the attack. The jury found him guilty, but his attorney successfully argued for a lesser charge, leading to a life sentence instead of a death sentence. The residents of Kermit expressed outrage at this outcome.

While awaiting his second trial for Brenda's murder, Sharp claimed to have experienced a religious conversion. A detective contacted him, and Sharp initially agreed to provide details about other murders in exchange for protection of his identity. However, after news articles made his claims public, he refused to cooperate further.

At his second trial, Selena again recounted the events leading up to their escape. The jury deliberated for a short time before delivering a guilty verdict, which resulted in Sharp receiving the death penalty. He maintained his innocence, and his attorney raised concerns about the trial's fairness amid threats received by his family.

Sharp appealed his death sentence multiple times without success. On November 19, 1997, he was executed by lethal injection. In his final statement, he discussed his faith and spoke against the death penalty. As of May 2022, no additional murders have been definitively linked to him, although he remained a suspect in several other cases.