Mykaella Sharlman, Unforgettable! What Happened to Justice In America?

My heart goes out to the family of Mykaella Sharlman. As the world Reads this story, it is my only wish that it opens the Nation’s eyes to a problem that America has had for many, many years and it is worse than any drug problem the world has ever seen. In fact, it is so deeply rooted that its blood continues to pour into our streets and corrupt people’s minds every day. HATE. That’s what it takes to take someone’s lifeless body and set it ablaze. Journey with me as we look into this case and try to finally get justice for a young life that was lost too soon.

25-year-old Mykaella Sharlman was the youngest of seven siblings and was loved very much by her family. Mykaella was a student at Los Medanos College and had dreamed of becoming a make-up and hair artist. That dream would never come true, On October 18, 2022, the nightmare became a reality for her family.

October 17, 2022 After not hearing from Mykaella in a few days, the family of the victim reported their loved one missing. It would be just the following morning at 5:36 am when a call came into the police station. Between Gentrytown dr and Contra Loma Blvd a neighbor reported seeing a small fire on Mokelumme Trail.

Upon arriving on the scene firefighters were able to contain the fire. After investigating the contents of the dumpster they discovered a small body with a k chain burned to its body. When the news broke family feared the worst being so close to the missing area. So records were brought to try to identify Mykaella.

On October 24, 2022, the Contra Costa County Coroner Office positively identified Mykaella using her dental records. The following day two officers Ashton Montalvo and Deangelo Laraye Boone were arrested for the heinous crime.

“To take her body and put it in a garbage can and then burn her, is one of the most heinous crimes that you can ever commit,” the victim’s sister, Nicole Eason, told KRON4. 

KRON4

Video evidence in the area showed the two officers brought Mykaella’s body into the dumpster before setting it on fire. The officers alleged that they had found Mykaella deceased in an abandoned apartment. The autopsy report shows that Mykaella in fact did have drugs in her system. But, with her body being mutilated and set on fire arose questions about what really happened here.

As some of you may know, July 2023 the case was dismissed against the two officers.

Fast forward to June of this year, charges were cleared against the officers. But, Not without the scrutiny of the feds. Concluding all of the evidence leading to the initial arrest of the officers, The feds picked up on at least 45 other officers tied into a texting scandal. Text messages revealed officers in the Mykaella case, as well as others, were texting unethical practices in the department.

According to reports, the FBI had executed search warrants at the residences of multiple officers and confiscated phones and other private property right from the police department.

With only 115 sworn officers and 33 unsworn officers that leaves almost half of the Antioch Police Department under investigation for messages including racist and homophobic text. One officer was so bold as to even admit to football kicking a murder suspect in the head. Officer Matthew Nutt was later fired.

The racist text messages came to light as part of an FBI investigation into the Antioch and Pittsburg Police Departments, alleging officers were distributing cocaine and steroids, accepting bribes, intentionally using excessive force, and violating people’s civil rights.

Judge Maier described many messages as targeting “members of the Black and Hispanic community,” and said that the content of the messages was “deeply disturbing” and so offensive it could “incite further hate or racial animus.”

According to investigators, some of the officers were long-time participants in a text messaging group on their personal phones, where they would commend one another for harming victims during arrests and frequently refer to local residents using the n-word.

Major Lamar Thorpe is also spoken of in the text scandal with threats to harm his family. According to Mayor Thorpe, the threats he received were not only directed toward him but also toward his family, which deeply concerns him. Despite being a prominent figure in Antioch, the Mayor’s position does not shield him from feeling unsafe within his own community. This unfortunate situation highlights the urgent need for increased security measures and a stronger commitment to ensuring the safety of all residents, regardless of their background.

“I’ve been concerned about my personal safety since the day I became the mayor,” he said. “I just don’t feel comfortable asking them [police officers] for anything at this point.”