Jury Selection In Sean Urbanski Hate Crime Trial Expected To Begin Monday
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (WJZ) — After his trial was delayed four times, the man charged with a hate crime after a black student was stabbed and killed on the University of Maryland College Park campus is expected to go trial Monday.
This comes more than two years after the deadly encounter.
Richard Collins III was just days away from walking across the stage with his college diploma when he was stabbed and killed.
Prosecutors believe Sean Urbanski killed Collins because he had a bias against black people, and that accusation is expected to be one of the main arguments from prosecutors.
Urbanski has been charged with a hate crime and first-degree murder, after prosecutors said he walked up to Collins as he waited for an Uber on the College Park campus, said something to him and eventually stabbed Collins in the chest.
Back in 2017, the former State's Attorney for Prince George's County, who is now the county executive, talked about why he'll be charged with a hate crime.
"We had enough evidence to file a hate crime charge which is what the grand jury indicted the defendant in this case for today." said former Prince George's County State's Attorney Angela Alsobrooks.
Prosecutors said Urbanski has been connected to the "Alt-Reich Nation" Facebook group, which supports white supremacy.
They also said racist memes uncovered on his phone will be allowed into evidence, despite his attorney's objections.
Collins was a Bowie State University student, who was commissioned into the army as a lieutenant shortly before he was killed.
Jury selection is expected to start Monday. Prosecutors said they will not seek the death penalty.