Teen gets life sentence in killing of his dad and a 6-year-old in SC school shooting
Jesse Osborne — the 17-year-old who killed his father in their home before driving to an elementary school and shooting at students in 2016 — was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday, media outlets report.
Osborne killed his father, Jeff Osborne, then drove to Townville Elementary School, where he killed 6-year-old Jacob Hall and wounded others, WYFF 4 reported. He pleaded guilty to murder last year.
A judge sentenced him to life behind bars around 5 p.m. on the third day of his sentencing hearing, according to Fox Carolina — hours after another school shooting claimed two lives in California.
Osborne received an additional 30 years on attempted murder charges, WYFF reported.
The judge who sentenced him said “he was worried Jesse Osborne showed little remorse,” according to the AP.
He was 14 at the time of the shooting but was tried as an adult, the news agency reported.
Osborne first posted on social media about his plans for the school shooting in September 2016, WYFF reported. On Sept. 28, 2016, he reportedly shot and killed his father while he sat in a chair facing away from his son, the station said.
Then the teenager kissed his rabbit and dogs before calling his grandmother and mumbling something unintelligible, according to the media outlet. At around 1:45 p.m., Osborne reportedly drove his dad’s truck through the fence at Townville Elementary and fired a .40-caliber handgun at teachers and students on the playground.
A firefighter tackled him to the ground, WYFF reported, but not before a bullet hit Jacob Hall in the leg. The first-grader died three days later after massive blood loss.
According to the AP, two other students and a teacher were injured during the attack.
During the sentencing hearing this week, Osborne’s grandfather — Tommy Osborne — testified his grandson lived in “total isolation,” the Greenville News reported.
Before the shooting, Osborne was expelled from West Oak Middle School “after bringing a hatchet and a machete in his backpack,” according to the newspaper.
His half-brother, Ryan Brock, and others also reportedly testified that Jeffrey Osborne had been abusive to his son.
“He would make him pull his pants down... get sticks, belts, whatever he could find, and just start whaling on Jesse,” Brock said, the Greenville News reported. “I could hear the screams throughout the house.”
A psychiatrist for the defense said Osborne was the product of a broken family, according to Fox Carolina, but she was “optimistic” he could be rehabilitated.
Forensic psychologist Dr. James C. Ballenger, however, said Osborne likely suffers from a conduct disorder and lacks remorse and empathy, the media outlet reported.
“I certainly think he is dangerous and I think he will remain dangerous,” Ballenger said, according to the Greenville News.
This story was originally published November 14, 2019 at 5:42 PM.
