Shraman Mitra
When Sharon Anderson decided to take a break and visit a local bar with her friend, Marie Rogers, her mother had no idea she would be seeing her daughter for the last time. The following morning, police officers found Sharon, Marie, and their friend, Butch Casey, gruesomely murdered in Casey’s Miramar, Florida, house. Investigation Discovery’s ‘See No Evil: Murder on VHS’ chronicles the horrifying incident and portrays how footage from a hidden CCTV camera gave investigators the breakthrough they needed to solve the case.
How Did Sharon Anderson Die?
While Sharon Anderson lived with her mother in Miramar at the time of her murder, she had massive aspirations for her future and wanted to make it big in the filming industry. People who knew Sharon described her as a lively and cheerful individual who loved helping others and making new friends. Known for her vivacious personality and amicable nature, Sharon even enjoyed hanging out with her friends and decided to do just that on June 26, 1994, without knowing that it would lead to her death.
Sharon’s sister, Debbie Bowie, mentioned that Sharon was a bundle of nerves on June 26, 1994. She had a dress rehearsal for a new play on June 27, and the aspiring actor worried if she was ready for the role. Hence, after spending time with the script for the entire day, Sharon called her friend Marie, and the pair decided to go to a nearby bar in order to wind down. Eventually, Sharon and Marie chose to go to Casey’s Nickelodeon, as they were familiar with the owner, Butch Casey.
Subsequently, Butch, whose real name was Casimir Sucharski, invited the girls to his house for a small afterparty, and the two happily agreed. On June 27, the following day, Sharon’s mother woke up to realize that her daughter hadn’t returned home. She immediately informed the rest of her family and reported her missing to the police. Once law enforcement officials discovered Sharon had gone to Casey’s Nickelodeon on the night of her disappearance, they interviewed the bartender, who informed them about Butch’s afterparty.
Interestingly, when the cops approached Butch’s house, they heard loud music coming from within, but since no one answered the door, police officers forced their way in to find a horrifying scene. Officers found the bodies of Sharon Anderson, Marie Rogers, and Butch Casey in the living room while there were blood splatters all over the wall. The furniture in the room was completely trashed, and from the looks of it, all three victims had bruises all over their bodies. Later, an autopsy determined that Sharon, Marie, and Butch were beaten and shot to death, while signs of forced entry indicated a possible armed home invasion.
Who Killed Sharon Anderson?
The initial investigation into Sharon’s murder was quite challenging as the police did not have a lot of leads to work with. For starters, while the bartender had seen the trio exit the bar together, there were no witnesses to the murder, and Butch’s neighbors had not seen anyone enter the house. Besides, while Sharon and Marie had no known enemies who would target them in such a manner, the police wondered if Butch’s business deals led to the horrific incident. However, further investigation soon ruled out the involvement of Butch’s business partners.
Subsequently, a thorough search of the crime scene revealed a torn shirt discarded in front of the main door. On top of it, detectives even found a hidden CCTV camera facing the room where Sharon, Marie, and Butch were killed. Thankfully, the camera was connected to a VHS system, and the police sat through hours of recording until they spotted the trio enter the room together. Shortly after, two men burst into the house, and one of their faces was covered with the shirt authorities had recovered from the crime scene; that same guy also brandished a gun.
The police were shocked to find the entire homicide captured on video. Besides, halfway through the recording, one of the invaders revealed his face for a split second, allowing the police to get an image clear enough for identification. Using the footage from the CCTV cameras, the police restarted their investigation, and they soon arrested Pablo Ibar, Alberto Rincon, and Alex Hernandez in an unrelated home invasion incident.
While Pablo was confirmed to be the man revealing his face on the video, the police began questioning his acquaintances until the suspect’s friend, Jean Klimeczko, mentioned that the second person might be Seth Penalver. Hence, with Pablo already in custody, the police generated an arrest warrant for Seth, who immediately turned himself in.
Pablo Ibar Remains in Prison
When arrested and presented in court, both Pablo and Seth insisted on their innocence and pled not guilty, and their first trial ended in a hung jury. However, the outcome changed during their second trial as Pablo and Seth were convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death in 2000. Following the sentence, both men tried to appeal their convictions, and eventually, Seth was allowed a retrial in 2012. In this retrial, the court decided that the prosecution did not have enough evidence to convict Seth beyond the presence of doubt. Hence, he was acquitted of all charges in the same year and released from prison.
Meanwhile, Pablo Ibar was granted a retrial in 2019, and although he insisted on his innocence once again, the police determined that the shirt they had recovered from the crime scene had the suspect’s DNA on it. Hence, Pablo was convicted on three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of robbery with a deadly weapon, and a single count of armed burglary. Based on the conviction, the judge sentenced him to three life imprisonment terms without parole, along with an additional 60 years for the other charges in 2019, and he currently remains incarcerated at the South Bay Correctional Facility in South Bay, Florida.
Read More: Where is Seth Penalver Now? Sharon Anderson Update
