3 things to watch for as trial against suspect in Madison Sparrow's killing begins
For two years, Madison Sparrow's family and friends have been left with questions.
Since the 17-year-old's slaying on Oct. 2, 2020, they have often wondered "why" − why anyone would harm the quiet-but-secretly-spunky girl who cared deeply for those around her.
While they may never get all the answers they seek, more details about the teen's brutal homicide will be revealed in the trial against Noah Sharp, Sparrow's ex-boyfriend and one of the suspects in her death. The trial begins Monday.
Sharp, who court records show confessed to killing Sparrow and then led detectives to her body several days after the killing, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony and conspiracy.
Annika Stalczynski, a former close friend of Sparrow's, pleaded guilty to murder and conspiracy in Sparrow's death earlier this year. She will be sentenced sometime after Sharp's trial.
A jury of 16 − 12 jurors plus four alternates − was selected Wednesday. It is made up of eight women and eight men ranging in age from late teens or early 20s to 60s or 70s.
REMEMBERING MADISON SPARROW:
THE KILLING: How two people she once loved committed the ultimate betrayal
OBITUARY: How a quiet girl selflessly loved those around her
As court proceedings begin, here are three of the most pressing questions.
What will Sharp's defense team argue?
Based on recent court proceedings, it appears prosecutors will use some of Sharp's statements to police − and likely his confession(s) − to argue the young man's guilt.
Given this, it remains unclear what exactly Sharp's defense team will argue, though there may be some discussion of possible mental illness.
While Sharp's team will not be using insanity as an affirmative defense, given his attorneys have not notified prosecutors of their intent to do so as is required under Delaware law, one of Sharp's former attorneys said in an initial court hearing that Sharp was being treated for possible schizophrenia at the time of Sparrow's homicide.
He had also been under psychiatric observation, the attorney said.
Court documents also show that several people, including one of Sparrow's close friends, told police they'd been "made aware" that Sharp reportedly has an "alter ego." Prosecutors said in a court filing earlier this year, however, that Sharp was the one who told people about the reported alter ego.
While a jury could find Sharp "guilty but mentally ill," Delaware law says this verdict means a defendant "may have any sentence imposed which may lawfully be imposed upon any defendant for the same offense."
In Delaware, adults found guilty of first-degree murder must be sentenced to life in prison. The state no longer has parole, meaning a person sentenced to life will die in the custody of the Delaware Department of Correction.
2020 VIGIL:'Wise beyond her years:' Hundreds turn out to Newark Charter to remember Madison Sparrow
There is also some question about a head injury Sharp may have suffered in 2020.
Sharp's first attorney argued in a preliminary hearing that he'd been hurt in Chester County, Pennsylvania, about three weeks before Sparrow's killing. She said he had memory lapses and other memory issues as a result of the head trauma, though she did not detail what caused the head trauma or how badly Sharp was injured.
Still, it's not clear what effect the head injury would have had in this case, largely because Sparrow's killing was not a spur-of-the-moment crime.
Text messages obtained by prosecutors show Sharp and Stalczynski plotted Sparrow's death at least 10 days in advance.
Several forensic psychologists told Delaware Online/The News Journal that rageful, uncontrolled assaults can occur in people who have frontal lobe injuries caused by head trauma. But those assaults are typically unplanned, they said.
"The evidence of chit-chatting and making plans totally runs against that kind of impulsive, explosive rage you see in a frontal lobe injury," said Naftali Berrill, executive director of the New York Center for Neuropsychology and Forensic Behavioral Science.
Will Sharp or Stalczynski testify?
Stalczynski may testify during the trial, though it remains to be seen whether she will.
Her name appeared on the witness list that prosecutors and defense attorneys submitted to the court, but attorneys don't necessarily call every witness on the list. Those decisions are often made based on trial proceedings.
Stalczynski's guilty plea earlier this year also didn't provide any indication of whether she will testify. Prosecutors rarely, if ever, include details about potential cooperation agreements in plea documents.
When Sharp's trial was initially set for June of this year, her sentencing was slated for August. Once Sharp's trial was pushed to October, her sentencing was also rescheduled. A new date has not yet been set.
Because she was 17 at the time of Sparrow's homicide, she faces a minimum of 25 years in prison, not the mandatory life that Sharp − who was 18 when Sparrow was killed − faces.
READ:Former Newark Charter student pleads guilty to luring classmate Madison Sparrow to death
It's also unknown whether Sharp will testify.
His name did not appear on the witness list, but defendants' names often don't. In most cases, however, defendants do not take the witness stand as the risks often outweigh any possible benefits.
Will there be any explanation for the killing?
Sparrow's mother, Heather Sparrow Murphy, has repeatedly said she doesn't believe she will ever get an explanation as to why her daughter was killed, and she's likely correct.
While Sharp told police during an interview that he "felt pain" when he and Sparrow broke up and “wanted her to feel the same pain," court documents do not give any reason for Stalczynski's role in the killing.
She and Sharp had developed a relationship after he and Sparrow broke up, and several forensic psychologists told Delaware Online/The News Journal that romantic interests often make people more vulnerable to the influence of "a potentially delusional partner."
Still, it's almost impossible for most people to understand why someone would kill, especially in the manner that Sharp is accused of, said Katherine Ramsland, a forensic psychologist and professor at DeSales University in Pennsylvania.
"Unless you've been in those situations where you're deeply wounded, you would not be able to fathom how this happens," she previously told Delaware Online/The News Journal. “You cannot understand without having been in the position of, ‘I'm going to get that person for dating my boyfriend or dissing me or humiliating me in some other way.’”
Got a story tip or idea? Send to Isabel Hughes at ihughes@delawareonline.com. For all things breaking news, follow her on Twitter at @izzihughes_
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Madison Sparrow trial: What to know about the case facing Noah Sharp
