May 24, 2007

Osbourne Sentenced to Prison

Judge gives former fugitive 15 years

MINEOLA – Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice announced this afternoon that a Nassau County Court Judge Steven Jeager has sentenced Stanley Osbourne, 49, to 15 years in prison and three years of post-release supervision following a brutal attack on his wife more than five years ago.

Mr. Osbourne’s trial ended in March with a jury deliberating for less than three hours before finding the defendant guilty of Assault in the First Degree and misdemeanor charges of menacing and weapons possession.  The District Attorney recommended Mr. Osbourne receive the maximum of 25 years in prison.

On August 17, 2001, the defendant lured his wife to a secluded area on Long Island’s north shore on the pretense they were going to see a marriage counselor.  While in the car, the defendant began to attack the victim with a razor blade.  After the victim was able to extract herself from the vehicle, the defendant began chasing her with a handgun.  An eyewitness testified at the trial to seeing the chase and to hearing the victim’s pleas for help.  After catching the victim, Mr. Osbourne attempted to shoot her at point-blank range.  Instead, the gun jammed and the defendant used it to strike her in the head.  The gun shattered and the victim’s skull was severely fractured.  The defendant fled the scene, leaving the victim in a secluded area unconscious and bleeding profusely.  The police, responding to the eyewitness’ 911 call, arrived at the scene minutes later.

Mr. Osbourne fled the jurisdiction immediately following the incident.  The victim sustained life-threatening injuries but lived to describe portions of the attack to the jury during the trial.

Acting on a tip, Stanley Osbourne was arrested by Canadian authorities in September 2005 in the Toronto suburb of Brampton, Ontario, hours after his case was profiled on the television show “America’s Most Wanted.”  Mr. Osbourne was extradited from Canada to Nassau County in March 2006.

Assistant District Attorney Robert DelGiorno, of the District Attorney’s Special Victims Bureau, handled the case for the prosecution.  Mr. Osbourne is being represented by Michael Soshnick, Esq.

District Attorney Kathleen Rice would like to thank the United States Marshal’s New York/New Jersey Fugitive Task Force and Assistant District Attorney Roxanne Paquette for their assistance in this prosecution.