Grandfather testifies at trial for Jesse Osborne

A South Carolina teen who killed his father and a six-year-old boy during a shooting spree when he was 14 had suffered persistent abuse both at home and school in the months leading up to the attack, according to his grandfather.  

Tommy Osborne took the witness stand on the third day of his grandson Jesse Osborne’s sentencing hearing on Thursday, where the 17-year-old faces 30 years to life in prison.  

The grandfather painted a grim picture of Jesse’s life at home, describing how the boy’s father, Jeffrey Osborne, regularly got drunk and beat him.   

Things weren’t any better for Jesse at school, where Tommy said he was bullied by classmates on a regular basis. 

Jesse was expelled from West Oak Middle School the year before the shooting for bringing a machete and a knife to campus. Tommy claimed that Jesse had brought the weapons because he wanted to defend an autistic girl from bullies. 

He said after the boy was expelled, Jesse isolated himself in his ‘dungeon’ basement bedroom, spending more than 12 hours every day by himself in the months leading up to the shooting.  

Tommy Osborne broke down in tears while testifying about his grandson Jesse Osborne’s deadly shooting spree on the third day of the 17-year-old’s sentencing hearing on Thursday

Jesse faces 30 years to life in prison for killing his own father before shooting dead a six-year-old boy at a South Carolina elementary school in 2016, when he was 14 years old

Jesse faces 30 years to life in prison for killing his own father before shooting dead a six-year-old boy at a South Carolina elementary school in 2016, when he was 14 years old

Tommy described Jesse as a ‘bright’ child who grew up dreaming of becoming the first astronaut to land on the moon but started to dread going to school when he was about 10 or 11.

The grandfather explained that his son, Jeffrey, was disappointed that Jesse wasn’t the athletic, competitive son he had hoped for.

He said Jeffrey kept a clean house with his wife and was trying to make a living raising chickens to provide more for his family – but once he finished what he needed to do, he started drinking beer about every day.

‘When Jeffrey was sober, he was the best fellow you’ve ever seen,’ Tommy said.  

The grandfather noted that Jesse shared a closer relationship with his grandparents than his parents. 

On one occasion, Tommy said he and his wife took Jesse to the mountains and discovered he was covered in bruises. Jesse claimed that his father had ‘hit him with a bat’, Tommy said. 

Tommy Osborne hugs his wife Patsy, Jesse's grandmother, after his emotional testimony in Anderson County Court on Thursday

Tommy Osborne hugs his wife Patsy, Jesse’s grandmother, after his emotional testimony in Anderson County Court on Thursday

Jesse smiles while talking with attorney Frank Eppes during a break in the courtroom

Jesse smiles while talking with attorney Frank Eppes during a break in the courtroom

Jesse's mother Tiffney also attended Thursday's hearing, where a judge who will decide the teen's sentence heard arguments and testimony from both sides

Jesse’s mother Tiffney also attended Thursday’s hearing, where a judge who will decide the teen’s sentence heard arguments and testimony from both sides

Tommy began to cry when a defense lawyer asked him about the day of the shootings. 

He said that Jesse called his grandmother, Patsy, screaming after he shot his father three times in the head.  

Tommy and Patsy rushed to their son’s home and found his body before Jesse called them again, saying that he was at Townville Elementary School, where he’d previously been a student.  

Jesse had crashed his father’s truck into the school fence before opening fire on students on the playground, killing six-year-old Jacob Hall and wounding another student and a teacher. 

By the time Tommy arrived at the school, he said, police had already arrested his grandson.  

Tommy’s description of Jesse’s emotional reaction to the rampage contradicted previous accounts from authorities and psychiatric experts who said the teen was chillingly calm following the planned attack.  

Jesse had just turned 14 when he killed his 47-year-old father Jeffrey (above together) by shooting him three times in their home. During his confession, Jesse said he was angry at his father because he would get belligerently drunk and try to fight the boy and his mother

Jesse had just turned 14 when he killed his 47-year-old father Jeffrey (above together) by shooting him three times in their home. During his confession, Jesse said he was angry at his father because he would get belligerently drunk and try to fight the boy and his mother 

Osborne faces 30 years to life without parole for his rampage that wounded six-year-old Jacob Hall (pictured)

Jacob Hall, 6

After killing his father, Jesse drove to Townville Elementary School and opened fire on students who were playing outside. Six-year-old Jacob Hall (left and right) was shot in the leg and died three days later. Another student and a teacher were also wounded but survived

The grandfather concluded his testimony by saying he knows that Jesse must be punished for his actions. However, he said he hopes the boy will receive the minimum sentence of 30 years rather than spending the rest of his life behind bars. 

Tommy told the judge that he would pay for any extra counseling the teen can get behind bars and would continue to provide for Jesse if he can get out of prison in his 40s.  

‘There will be money, land and a good Christian couple to take care of him – teach him how to buy groceries, drive a car, whatever he needs,’ Tommy said, adding that if the judge doesn’t deliver a life sentence he will create a trust fund for after Jesse’s release. 

The grandfather said that no matter what happens, he and his wife will continue to visit their grandson.  

‘You still love Jesse?’ a defense attorney asked. 

‘Oh yeah,’ Tommy replied.  

The prosecution concluded its cross examination by asking Tommy about what the future holds for Jacob Hall, the six-year-old Jesse killed on the playground.  

‘He don’t have none and my son don’t have none either,’ Tommy said. 

Prosecutors seeking a sentence of life without parole have argued that Jesse was obsessed with school shootings, has no regrets about the killings and continuously lies for his own benefit, like looking up symptoms of disorders like autism online and then trying to trick psychiatrist analyzing him. Jesse is seen in court on Wednesday

Prosecutors seeking a sentence of life without parole have argued that Jesse was obsessed with school shootings, has no regrets about the killings and continuously lies for his own benefit, like looking up symptoms of disorders like autism online and then trying to trick psychiatrist analyzing him. Jesse is seen in court on Wednesday

Judge Lawton McIntosh will determine Jesse’s sentence at the end of the special hearing, which is required under a US Supreme Court ruling that life sentences for juveniles can’t be mandatory and arbitrary.

Along with testimony about his home life, McIntosh is considering evidence about whether Jesse can be rehabilitated, the circumstances of the crime and his maturity.

Prosecutors said Jesse was obsessed with school shootings, has no regrets about the killings and continuously lies for his own benefit, like looking up symptoms of disorders like autism online and then trying to trick psychiatrist analyzing him.

Psychiatrists called by the defense have said teens ‘brains are still developing and it’s unfair to send him away for life when the person he could become is not fully apparent. 

Forensic psychiatrist Dr James Ballenger (left) took the stand for the state on Wednesday and testified that on several occasions he felt chills when talking to Jesse and reviewing his case

Forensic psychiatrist Dr James Ballenger (left) took the stand for the state on Wednesday and testified that on several occasions he felt chills when talking to Jesse and reviewing his case

Experts for both sides presented the findings of their mental evaluations of Jesse during day two of the hearing on Wednesday. 

Dr James Ballenger, one of two prosecution witnesses to testify that Jesse is dangerous, said that on several occasions he felt chills when talking to the teen and reviewing his case.

Ballenger concluded that the 17-year-old defendant would likely not benefit from treatment and should be kept in jail. 

‘I’m pessimistic that treatment … would make or will make a difference,’ the psychiatrist, who also evaluated Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof, told the court. 

Ballenger said he believes Jesse developed a conduct disorder sometime between sixth and eighth grade.  

‘He doesn’t feel remorse; he doesn’t feel guilt,’ Ballenger said, noting that those traits are indicators of a conduct disorder. 

He said he thinks Jesse may have an antisocial personality disorder, but the defendant is too young to receive that diagnosis definitively. 

Ballenger went on to describe being particularly disturbed by Jesse’s response to a deputy investigating why he had brought a hatchet to his middle school several months before the shooting.

Jesse allegedly told the officer: ‘I’m going to do Columbine better.’

 He doesn’t feel remorse; he doesn’t feel guilt.

– Forensic psychiatrist James Ballenger

The deputy told Jesse’s parents that he thought their son was going to kill one of them, Ballenger said.

‘I can’t say that without a shudder going down my spine today,’ Ballenger told the court.

Ballenger said he also was shocked when Osborne recounted pulling wings off crickets so they would be helpless as ants attacked; shooting dogs with a pellet gun, and throwing frogs against concrete.

The psychiatrist said Jesse’s attempt to be polite and helpful during the police interviews was a façade. 

He said the teen has told psychiatrists he still daydreams about killing people even though the feelings he got shooting his father and at the children didn’t match what he expected.

In February 2018, Ballenger testified that Jesse should be tried as an adult because the teen had a rare combination of no remorse and no understanding of the consequences of what he did, even once saying he did the first-grader a favor by killing him. He said nothing has changed his mind.

‘I’m even more pessimistic’ now, Ballenger said Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, Dr Ernest Martin took the stand for the defense and testified that Osborne didn’t realize the consequences of his actions and could be rehabilitated.

Martin said Osborne was traumatized from years of bullying and abuse by his father, was depressed, and showed remorse for the killings. 

Testifying for the defense, psychiatrist Dr Ernest Martin (pictured) said that Osborne didn't realize the consequences of his actions and could be rehabilitated

Testifying for the defense, psychiatrist Dr Ernest Martin (pictured) said that Osborne didn’t realize the consequences of his actions and could be rehabilitated

Ahead of the first day of sentencing on Tuesday, authorities revealed that Jesse had tried to escape jail just days earlier.  

Anderson County jail investigator Nathan Mitchell said a hole was dug near the cell that Jesse and a cellmate shared last month as photos of the hole were shown to the court. Jesse was not able to escape.

Prosecutors seeking life in prison for Jesse also showed a judge thousands of Instagram messages with him planning to shoot up Townville Elementary School in a bid to become America’s most prolific school shooter in September 2016. 

His Instagram group, which called itself ‘Project Rainbow,’ debated whether it was better to shoot at an elementary school or middle school, settling on the elementary school because there was no on-campus police officer. 

During the hearing on Tuesday, FBI Special Agent Shandal Ewing read social media messages attributed to Jesse. 

‘I’ve been planning for two years so I’m definitely ready,’ one of the messages reads. 

Ewing read another message that Jesse wrote: ‘If you hate school shoot it up. That’s what I’m gonna do.’ 

In the days leading up to the shooting, Jesse discussed desires to kill large numbers of people in the group.

‘I HAVE TO BEAT ADAM LANZA’, the eighth-grader wrote in an Instagram group chat just nine days prior, referring to the Sandy Hook shooter. ‘I think ill probably most likely kill around 50 or 60. If I get lucky maybe 150.’ 

Jesse allegedly told a deputy he was 'going to do Columbine better' when he brought a hatchet to school months before the killings. The eighth grader is seen with a gun in an undated photo

Jesse allegedly told a deputy he was ‘going to do Columbine better’ when he brought a hatchet to school months before the killings. The eighth grader is seen with a gun in an undated photo

Jesse was believed to have been partially motivated by his expulsion from West Oak Middle School for bringing a hatchet and machete to campus the year before. 

Six days before the shooting he told the group chat: ‘The middle school has tons of cops. The elementary school doesn’t.’ 

Last year, Jesse pleaded guilty as an adult to two counts of murder. 

During his confession, Jesse told investigators that he was angry at his father because he would get belligerently drunk and try to fight the boy and his mother.

His dad, Jeffery, had convictions for domestic abuse and possessing marijuana. He had also declared bankruptcy.

The teen also said in his confession that he was bullied and had been nicknamed ‘Little Jesse’ because of his small stature.

In the wake of his crimes, Jesse wanted to be tried as a minor, even researching symptoms related to autism and mental illness.

He even talked about hallucinations – however, psychiatric evaluators determined that he was lying.

In December 2018, prosecutors argued that Jesse’s obsession with violence never went away, and the evaluators agreed.

‘My observations of him in this courtroom over the last few days have been that he is still 100 percent in that mind-set,’ Ballenger testified at the time, adding that he’d seen Jesse crack a smile in court when his acts were brought up. ‘He’s very comfortable.’ 

In the days leading up to the shooting, Osborne discussed desires to kill large numbers of people. A bouquet of flowers are seen outside Townville Elementary School

In the days leading up to the shooting, Osborne discussed desires to kill large numbers of people. A bouquet of flowers are seen outside Townville Elementary School

 

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