Friends and family honor man killed in crash caused by driver in country illegally
RICHMOND HILL, Ga. (WTOC) -Friends and family gathered Friday afternoon in Richmond Hill to honor Michael Daniel Sharpe, who they say touched hundreds of lives.
Sharpe, better known as Danny, was killed May 1 while driving home from work in Effingham County. Investigators say a car crossed the center line and struck him.
The Department of Homeland Security says the suspect, Janamejoy Jansasoy, entered the country illegally through the southern border in December 2023. He received a final order for deportation two weeks before the crash.
Community remembers devoted husband and father
Friends and family from across the country packed into a Richmond Hill funeral home to remember Sharpe. He was a husband and father of two young children.
“In this tragedy, in this murder, you happen to take one of the finest people in Georgia,” said Kimberly Gillespie, a longtime friend.
Sharpe loved the outdoors and shared his passion with a local charity that helped kids with disabilities learn how to fish.
Gillespie said Sharpe’s wife did not get to see him or say goodbye to him. His children did not get to say goodbye to him either.
“So this tragic murder is excruciatingly painful of what this individual’s decisions were at 5 o’clock on a Friday night while this man was driving home from work to his family,” Gillespie said. “It’s tragic.”
Gillespie said the community will gather around Sharpe’s wife, Crystal, and their two children.
“Crystal and the children and his family will feel that love and support,” Gillespie said. “And they may be quite astonished at how far a local country boy’s reach really was.”
Gillespie said Sharpe’s loss has devastated the community.
“His loss to all of us is like a boulder hitting the water,” Gillespie said. “And the ripples and the effects of his loss span out much further than his beautiful wife, his 11-year-old son, and his 9-year-old daughter.”
The suspect is currently under an immigration enforcement hold and is facing charges of homicide by vehicle, DUI and other charges. He will appear in Effingham Superior Court for a bond hearing later this month.
The family has also started a GoFundMe.
Recent Posts
