This browser does not support the Video element.
Man found guilty of killing Bowie State student on UMD campus
A jury has reached a verdict in the trial of a man accused of murdering a Bowie State University student on the College Park campus of the University of Maryland in 2017. On Wednesday, Sean Urbanski was found guilty of first-degree murder.
UPPER MARLBORO, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - A jury has reached a verdict in the trial of a man accused of murdering a Bowie State University student on the College Park campus of the University of Maryland in 2017. On Wednesday, Sean Urbanski was found guilty of first-degree murder.
Richard Collins III, 23, a Bowie State University student who had recently been commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, was waiting at a bus stop with two friends when Urbanski approached them and said, "Step left, step left if you know what's best for you,” according to police.
DOWNLOAD: The FOX 5 DC News app for local breaking news
"No," Collins said before Urbanski allegedly plunged a knife into his chest.
Prince George’s County prosecutors have said Urbanski was motivated by a bias against black people. Urbanski liked a Facebook group called "Alt-Reich: Nation" and saved at least six photographs of racist memes on his phone, according to prosecutors.
Defense attorneys say there is no evidence of a racist motive for what occurred that night. Witnesses told police Urbanski was drunk and screaming incoherently when he approached the friends, one of his lawyers has said.
On Tuesday, a Prince George’s County judge acquitted Urbanski on a hate-crime charge.
Urbanski faces a possible sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. His sentencing date will be held on April 16, 2020.
Officials held a press conference on Wednesday evening following the conviction. Watch below:
RELATED STORIES:
Hate crime dropped in trial of man accused of murdering Bowie State student
Fatal stabbing of Bowie State University student was hate crime, prosecutor says
Stabbing death of Bowie State University student being probed as possible hate crime
UMD student held without bond in murder of Bowie State student
Vigil held for slain Bowie State University student Richard Collins III
Changes on University of Maryland campus following fatal stabbing of Bowie State student
The Associated Press contributed to this report