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Nevada County prosecutor: Desiree Hayden won’t face murder charge

Nevada County prosecutors said Wednesday, Aug. 30, they’ll drop a murder charge against Desiree Hayden, initially accused in the death of her ex-husband Brian Sharp, after reviewing the full autopsy report.

That report showed that Sharp, 44, could have died from an assault, a heart condition, drugs found in his body or a combination, said Chris Walsh, assistant district attorney, in a statement.

“There’s possible other causes that caused the victim’s death,” he added, explaining why his office will forego the murder accusation.



Prosecutors now intend to charge Hayden with assault against Sharp and child abuse against one of their children. It’s possible they’ll file a second assault charge against her in connection with a separate incident involving Hayden’s mother, Walsh said.

Authorities initially accused Hayden in connection with the June 25 death of Sharp. Police said she arrived at his Sutton Way apartment, started fighting with her ex-husband, and at some point injured one of their children.



Officers found Hayden the following day in a Reno home hiding in a closet, police said.


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