Posted on: August 28, 2024, 10:11h.
Last updated on: August 28, 2024, 10:11h.
A one-time MMA fighter was ordered to spend 25 years in prison for an Atlantic City hotel homicide.
Andrew J. Osborne, 35, of Philadelphia, will be forced to live behind bars for 21 years before he can be considered for parole, prosecutors said.
He must serve 85% of his sentence under New Jersey’s No Early Release Act before he can appeal to the parole board for release, prosecutors said.
The sentence was handed down last Thursday by New Jersey Judge Bernard E. DeLury, Jr.
Stabbing Details
The incident began when Osborne stabbed Brian Wilkinson, 47, of Egg Harbor Township, N.J. The two were in Wilkinson’s guest room at the Ocean Casino Resort.
Wilkinson was wounded in the head and neck. Wilkinson’s naked body was found on the floor of the hotel room hours after he was stabbed. A T-shirt and underwear were found near the body, according to BreakingAC.com, a local news outlet.
Authorities checked hotel surveillance video. It pictured Osborne in an Ocean Casino elevator. Osborne was wearing some of the victim’s clothes after the stabbing.
Local news reports never revealed a motive for the September 23, 2022 deadly attack.
After the killing, Osborne and his wife got into a silver Hyundai Accent hatchback and returned to Philadelphia.
Three days later, Osborne was apprehended. He was arrested for first-degree murder and third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. He was extradited to New Jersey.
He was indicted in December 2022. Earlier this year, he was convicted of aggravated manslaughter and he admitted stabbing Wilkinson to death inside Wilkinson’s hotel room.
In 2017, Osborne quit working as a professional MMA fighter, according to NJ1015.com, citing information from ESPN.
His record was 7-11-1 over several years, Tapology, an MMA fan site, reported.
Osborne’s wife was never arrested in connection with the fatal stabbing.
The Ocean Casino Resort hotel has 1,860 guest rooms. The complex is located on 20 acres on the Boardwalk.
Remembering Victim
Wilkinson was a bookkeeper and previously worked for a construction company, according to NJ.com, a regional news site.
One acquaintance, Heather L., posted on an obituary page, “Condolences to Brian’s family and friends. I went to school with Brian and he was truly a good person. He will be missed by many.”
The obituary released by the family added that “Brian’s death was very tragic and sudden and will be sadly missed by everyone that knew him.”
