Human Wreckage True Crime

He Claimed Madness; Justice Called It Sadism: Lena Zhang Harrap

• Thomas W

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Welcome to Human Wreckage, the podcast where we explore the darkest corners of human trauma and its aftermath, so we can better understand how lives are shattered, how communities respond, and ultimately how healing can begin. I'm your host, Thomas. Today we bring you a deeply harrowing story, the true crime case of Lena Zhang Harup, a young woman with Down syndrome whose life was cut far too short, and the man who preyed on her, Shamel Sharma. This is a story of vulnerability, violence, and the ripple effects of a brutal act on family, friends, and society. Trigger warning. The following contains graphic descriptions of sexual violence and murder, details that some listeners may find disturbing. Please take care of yourself while listening and consider skipping or stopping if it becomes too much. Let's begin by introducing Lena who she was, how she lived, and what she meant to those who loved her. Born on the 8th of November 1993, Lena Zhang Harup was adopted as an infant, and from very early in life faced medical and developmental challenges. According to reporting, she needed surgery for a hole in her heart and suffered repeated bouts of pneumonia and related health concerns. Despite these obstacles, Lena grew up to be a determined young woman, proud of her independence and her walks, engaged in her community, loved by her family. Her mother, Sue Herrup, described her as someone whose sense of humor filled my life with smiles and laughter. Lena lived in Auckland, New Zealand, she took daily walks and activity her family encouraged as a way for her to be out, independent, moving through the neighborhood. Her father, Martin Herrup, said that she was caring, funny, clever, a beautiful dancer, a wonderful daughter. Lena wanted to do so much. Now all that is gone. These words make one pause, because what's lost here is not just a life, but potentials, love, memories still to be made a future cut short. For her, the walk she took on the morning of the twenty second of september twenty twenty one was a normal routine. She left her home early around six hundred thirty M, on what should have been a typical morning. We'll come back later that morning, but first let's shift to the other side of the equation, the man who would end her life. The name Shamel Sharma is now linked forever with one of the most shocking and brutal murders in recent New Zealand criminal history. But who was he? What path led to this crime? At the time of offense, Sharma was thirty three years old. He had homeless status living out of his car after being evicted from emergency accommodation. He had a history of mental health issues. In particular, he suffered from schizophrenia. He also had, according to the prosecution, a pattern of drug use methamphetamine use, and its associated risk factors. In the judicial review, it was found that despite his mental health diagnosis, he was not found legally insane at the time of the offending. The attack was motivated, the Crown said, by sexual desire and violence, rather than by a psychotic break. The court heard that the day before Lena's murder, Sharma had engaged in other violent behavior. He reportedly stalked a woman who was jogging early morning in West Auckland, drove dangerously, and attempted to run her over by swerving his car onto the footpath. The prosecution argued that this earlier incident functioned as a rehearsal or precursor to the larger, horrific act that followed. From this profile emerges a man in crisis, homeless, untreated schizophrenia, drug using, with escalating sexual violence and predatory behavior. Yet because he was found fit to plead and not legally insane, the system held him criminally responsible for the full brutality he would inflict. Now we arrive in the morning. It was a typical early spring morning in Auckland. Lena set out on her usual walking route toward the Mount Albert summit via the bush line track. Her mother had that morning asked her to walk together something she rarely did, but Lena declined, and thus alone she set off. Meanwhile, Sharma had been in the area. Surveillance and CCTV show that he had been walking up Grand Avenue in Mount Albert. Reports state that he glanced back at Lena several times as she walked on the opposite side, then loitered until she entered the more remote bush lined pathway. That path, a seemingly innocuous route for ordinary walkers, became the scene of horror. Investigators believe the attack lasted approximately two hours. During that time, Lena was tortured. There were thirteen bruises and abrasions to her head, blunt force trauma causing brain injuries, sexual violations so severe that some injuries alone could have caused death. Objects were placed in her mouth, and bite marks found on her body. Ultimately, she was strangled to death. The brutality is unimaginable. Lena, a woman who walked daily seeking independence, became trapped by a predator who showed no mercy. Her body was discovered partially concealed in shrubbery about one kilometer from her home. A large scale search had taken place earlier that morning when her absence became noticed. In the courtroom, her mother Sue recounted, it occurred to me that he had literally taken her to the depths of hell. And her father Martin asked, How could he value human life so cheaply? This wasn't just killing, it was torture, violation, a bestial act committed on a vulnerable human being who did nothing but follow her routine. The investigation turned swiftly. CCTV from the area had captured both Lena's movement and a distinct image of a man Sharma walking in the neighborhood minutes before her disappearance. Forensic testing revealed blood stains on Sharma's clothing and shoes that matched Lena. Sharma was arrested two days later. He initially denied knowledge of Lena, but evidence closed in. In court, the Crown prosecutor told the judge, This has a degree of sadism through the infliction of pain. The legal process then moved. Sharma pleaded guilty in October 2022 to murder, sexual violation, and dangerous driving for the earlier incident with the jogger. Psychiatric assessments were conducted. Experts concluded that he was well above average risk of sexual reoffending, and that the earlier attack on the jogger appeared to be a buildup to Lena's murder. His mental health history homeless, living in his car, heavy methamphetamine use, untreated schizophrenia were all parts of the case, but crucially, he was not found to have been in a psychotic state that would allow an insanity defense. In the courtroom, many family, friends, and community members filled the galleries as media coverage made clear how this case had shaken Auckland and New Zealand more broadly. On the 4th of May 2023, Sharma was sentenced in the Auckland High Court, presided over by Justice Edwin Wiley. He received a life sentence with a minimum non-parole period of 19 years and six months. In addition, for the sexual violation charge, he received eleven years three months with a mandatory non-parole period of seven years four months, and for the dangerous driving charge, a further two months, all of these to be served concurrently. At sentencing, the judge described the offending as appalling, depraved, and sadistic. From the family impact statements, Lena's mother Sioux said, No sentence is long enough, and no justice can replace the life and love that was lost. Lena's father asked, How long was she conscious knowing she would die? The court acknowledged the high risk Sharma posed, and that release would only ever occur if the parole board deemed the community safe, and even then, regretfully, part of the discussion is overshadowed by the sheer gravity of the offense. Justice Wiley noted the sentence helps protect the public from the risk you pose. It's worth noting, a life sentence in New Zealand does not guarantee the offender will remain in prison for life, but the non parole period is such that the practical possibility of release is remote, especially given the risk factors. The case raised broader questions in New Zealand about vulnerable adults, community safety, mental health, homelessness, untreated illness, predatory sexual violence, and how society protects those at risk. What we've covered so far are the facts. But this story is as much about people, community, and grief as it is about crime. Lena's life may have been shorter than it should have been, but it was full. She fought early health challenges, embraced independence, loved dancing, crafts, and community. Her support worker recalled. She was always very confident, nothing stopped her. After her death, the walkway where she was murdered became a kind of memorial site. Her mother visits often, walking the path Lena walked, bringing remembrance. What stands out is how the family have not only expressed grief, but sought remembrance and healing. For example, Lena's mother extended a message of forgiveness. Although your actions have broken my heart, I too choose to forgive you. Forgiveness here does not mean forgetting or condoning. It means choosing a path for the living, for Lena's memory beyond hate. Also notable is the connection between Lena's mother and the jogging victim of Sharma's earlier attack, Tejalacharya. The two women, though impacted differently, have formed a bond through shared trauma and vulnerability. The case stirred public discourse, how society supports vulnerable adults with disabilities, how homelessness coupled with untreated mental illness can enable predation, how women walking alone, even in daylight, remain vulnerable. Detective Senior Sergeant Jeff Baber remarked, Lena was a fiercely independent and determined young woman whose life was cut tragically short. In short, the crime destroyed one life, devastated a family, haunted a community, but Lena's legacy also reminds us of the value of each person, vulnerability turned into independence and the importance of community care and protection. Let's pause here for some reflections. What can we learn from this tragic case? Vulnerability and risk. Lena's down syndrome, visual impairment and health challenges made her vulnerable, but she was also more than her vulnerabilities. Her independence mattered. Society needs systems to protect vulnerable adults, but also to empower them. Predation and escalation. Sharma's earlier incident to the attempted run over showed a pattern. The fact that the first incident did not intersect with a system response strong enough to prevent the next day's tragedy shows the gap between early warning and significant violence. Mental health, homelessness, addiction. While none of these excuse the crime, they are part of the ecosystem. Sharma had schizophrenia, substance use, homelessness untreated service needs, gaps in social supports. The tragedy begs the question, would intervention earlier have changed the path? The defense indeed argued that a compulsory treatment order should have been placed earlier. Community and remembrance the walkway where Lena died, the tributes, the bonds formed in the aftermath. These are signs that while the crime was singular, its impact radiated. Communities come together to mourn, remember, to ask questions, to press for change. Justice and Healing. The sentence may satisfy legal accountability, but does it satisfy healing for Lena's family? Her mother's statement acknowledges that no sentence is long enough, and no justice can replace the life and love that was lost. The podcast asks What does justice look like when life is removed so suddenly? The value of each life. Perhaps the clearest message Lena's life mattered. The brevity of her life does not lessen its importance. The story reminds us to pay attention to those who live quietly, independently, vulnerably, and to reinforce that being on a walk should not mean being at risk of violence. As we wrap up, I want to return to Lena. She walked because she could, because she chose to. She danced, she crafted, she contributed, she lived. And though her life ended in the worst possible way, her memory continues in her family's love, in community visits, in conversations like this. And to the system. May this tragedy be a call to action to ensure that homeless people with mental illness are supported, that vulnerable adults have safe routes in their daily lives, that society recognizes the signs of escalation in predatory violence, and that justice systems remain mindful of the humanity behind each case. For our listeners, if this story has affected you, please remember you're not alone. Reach out for help if needed. Support your loved ones, your community, and consider how you might contribute to safety in simple ways. Checking in with neighbors who walk alone, advocating for mental health and homelessness services, supporting organizations for vulnerable adults. Lena's story doesn't end in her death. It continues in how we respond, remember, and act. You know, I've done a lot of episodes for human wreckage, but I have to be honest this one has been one of the hardest. Not just to research, not just to record, but to sit with. Because what we've talked about today isn't just a story. It's a wound. It's a reflection of how fragile we really are, how easily things can break, and how long it takes to put the pieces back together if they ever truly fit again. There's something about facing the darkest parts of humanity that leaves a mark. Every time I dig into stories like this, I'm reminded that behind every headline, behind every statistic, there's someone who lived it. Someone who loved, who hoped, who maybe never saw what was coming. And those stories, they don't just end when we stop recording. They linger. If you've made it this far, thank you for listening, for caring, and for allowing space for conversations that aren't easy to have. Because that's what human wreckage has always been about. Finding meaning in the mess, empathy in the aftermath, and maybe a bit of healing in the telling. If today's episode stirred something in you, take care of yourself. Reach out if you need to. And remember, even in the wreckage, there's still humanity sometimes cracked and scarred, but still there, still trying. We'll be back soon with another story one that might hurt, might haunt, but hopefully helps us understand just a little more about what it means to be human. Thank you for listening to Human Wreckage. If you found this episode meaningful, please subscribe, share, and leave a review. Until then, stay safe, care for one another, and remember that behind every statistic is a human life.