Columbia, S.C. – A convicted school shooter who is currently serving a life sentence without parole for killing his father before gunning down a first-grader on a South Carolina playground is seeking a reduced sentence — to eventually be released from prison in his later years.
Jesse Osborne, who committed the crime in 2016 at the age of 14, had his lawyer request Judge Lawton McIntosh reconsider the sentence during a court hearing. Attorney Frank Eppes argued that the judge did not fully consider a psychologist’s report indicating that Osborne’s actions were driven by abuse and that he could be rehabilitated.
Osborne himself expressed remorse for his actions and apologized to the family of the victim and everyone affected by the incident. He asked for an opportunity to improve himself while serving his sentence.
“I would just like to say sorry to every single one of them. Because my evil actions hurt their lives,” Osborne said. “I’m just going to try to better myself in the Department of Corrections the rest of my life.”
After fatally shooting his dad as he slept, the killer kissed his pet rabbit goodbye before stealing his dad’s truck and driving to an elementary school he once attended, according to the confession.
Osborne plowed his pickup-truck into the school’s playground fence and opened fire on the first grade class celebrating a student’s birthday.
6-year-old Jacob Hall died from blood loss due to a gunshot to his leg, the coroner said. Two other students and a teacher were also wounded.
The teacher supervising the recess, a parent of a wounded child, the father of the student whose birthday was being celebrated, the superintendent, and the school principal all voiced their opposition to Osborne’s release.
They recounted the traumatic events of that day and emphasized that they do not want to see him released from prison.
Osborne is currently serving two life sentences after pleading guilty to the crimes.
Prosecutors say that Osborne’s intention was to cause more casualties, but his gun repeatedly jammed, preventing further harm. He also reportedly took the wrong ammunition from his father, preventing him from carrying on his slaughter.
“He didn’t stop because he wanted to. The gun jammed. Thank God the gun jammed,” the prosecutor said in court.
The defense argued that Osborne’s brain was still developing during his teenage years and presented a psychologist’s report contradicting the prosecution’s experts. They suggested a minimum sentence of 30 years for the murder charges, followed by additional time for other offenses, with lifetime monitoring upon release.
Judge McIntosh requested a detailed report from the defense expert, giving prosecutors at least 10 days to respond before further proceedings.
