Sentencing for man guilty of murdering Cleveland mom in front of her 5 children

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - The man found guilty of aggravated murder for stabbing a Cleveland mother to death in front of her five children, will be sentenced in Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Thursday.

On June 17, a jury found Charles Barkley guilty of aggravated murder, murder, and felonious assault for the fatal stabbing of Sharmaine Magan Forpahl last summer.

Forpahl was murdered on July 10, 2025 in the 4200 block of W. 57th St. in the city’s Old Brooklyn neighborhood.

According to a GoFundMe account, the children were ages 7-15.

Cleveland police found her body just a few steps from her front door.

“She recently moved into a peaceful single-family home in a quiet neighborhood, where she enjoyed spending quality time with her children and creating a loving, safe environment for them,” according to the GoFundMe.