Should he be released, he’d be 89
David Wagner, the 10th circuit solicitor, says in the event 21-year old Jesse Osborne completes his newly amended prison term, he’d be 89 years old on release. Circuit Judge Lawton McIntosh on Friday announced his decision on Osborne’s request for sentence reconsideration. The confessed killer is now required to serve 75 years for the murders of both his father at their home and, later, a 1st grade student at the Townville Elementary School. In 2018, Osborne received three sentences of 30 years. In his new order, McIntosh ruled: “Any sentence issued by this court for the charges of murder shall be served day for day. It is the intention of this court that this court’s original sentences of life effectively remain in effect. However, the court is agreeable to changing the designation of life to a numerical figure to allow defendant to participate in available programs while effectively serving a life sentence. Presently, the defendant is Twenty-One (21) years of age. At the time of hearing on defendant’s motion for reconsideration defendant had not come to terms with his crimes committed at Townville Elementary School, although he had done so for the murder of his father. Additionally, defendant essentially isolated himself in his cell thereby avoiding stressors that could complicate and/or aggravate defendant’s mental health. Defendant also declined mental health treatment offered by the South Carolina Department of Corrections. For these reasons, as well as the court’s reasons articulated at the time of the original sentence, the court denies defendant’s motion to the extent he seeks a sentence of less than life but grants defendant’s motion for a numerical sentence (which is effectively a life sentence).“