A 32-year-old mother of five, Sharmaine Magan Forpahl, was brutally stabbed to death at her home in front of her children at her home in Cleveland, Ohio.
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As reported by Cleveland 19 News, the incident occurred on Thursday, July 10, in the Old Brooklyn neighborhood. Responding officers arrived at a West 57th Street residence and encountered Forpahl’s body outside her front door.
Present at the scene were all five of Forpahl’s children, ages 7 to 15, as per the outlet.
Minutes before the fatal and violent attack, Ciara Drake, Forpahl’s best friend, said that she had spoken with her via a phone call.
“I was in disbelief because I had just gotten off the phone with Sharmaine and her son,” Drake said. “So I couldn’t really believe what I was hearing.”
Cleveland police arrested Charles F. Barkley, a 44-year-old man, in connection with the stabbing. He was charged with murder.
A Tragic Loss
Forpahl’s sister, Sky Harmon, spoke with the outlet and said that the children are struggling greatly with the loss of their mother. The youngest of all, a 7-year-old boy, has now tragically lost both of his parents, as per Cleveland 19 News.
“He doesn’t really understand that his mom is gone yet, and it’s just so sad,” Harmon said.
Harmon, meanwhile, now has to struggle with the tragedy of having lost a sister she loved dearly.
A GoFundMe was set up to support the children of Sharmaine Magan Forpahl. The fundraiser detailed that her death was caused by a domestic dispute, although the relationship between Forpahl and Barkley is unknown.
“Sharmaine was a devoted single mother to her five children,” the fundraiser reads. “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.”
Forpahl’s funeral was scheduled for July 26. Additionally, a balloon release ceremony will be held near her residence. To Drake, Forpahl’s best friend, remembering the mother of five is of vital importance, especially for her children.
“I’m worried about making sure her memory stays alive for her younger children,” Drake told Cleveland 19 News. “Because when you lose someone that young, eventually memories start to fade.”