CHARLESTON, W.Va – A Kanawha County man was charged by Charleston police Monday with voluntary manslaughter after an altercation that left an elderly pastor dead.
David Sharp,36, is accused of killing 77-year-old Arthur Hensley.
Police said Sharp was being overly affectionate with his wife at CAMC Memorial on Sept. 10 when Hensley approached and told them to “get a room.” The two men began to fight and police said Sharp pushed Hensley, which caused him to hit his head on a concrete column. Hensley slipped into a coma later that night. He died Sunday.
Investigators believe Sharp did not intend to kill the pastor.
“In a case like this if we could prove he actually intended on killing, we would charge him with murder,” Chief of Detectives Lt. Steve Cooper said. “But based on all of the facts, voluntary manslaughter is the appropriate charge in this case.”
Sharp maintains he had no intention of killing Hensley.
“I never meant to do anything like that,” Sharp said. “I was just trying to get away from him.”
If convicted, Sharp faces at least three years in prison.