A South Carolina court heard the confession made by a 14-year-old boy after he shot and killed his father before fatally shooting a 6-year-old at his former elementary school in September 2016.
The Anderson Independent Mail reported that the 48-page transcript, which can be read in full below, was made public as an Anderson County court decides whether Jesse Osborne, now 15, will be tried as an adult for two counts of murder. Osborne reportedly told investigators that, the night before the fatal shootings, his father, Jeffrey, was angry about how little he was paid for his chicken houses and that he took it out on him and his mother.
“And he was getting up in my face and stuff. And whenever he’s drunk, he always, like, says he wants to fight me… And then my mom will have to step in and get fussed at, too. And last night, he was just worse than he’s ever been,” the then-14-year-old allegedly explained to investigators.
The ordeal continued into the following morning, September 28, 2016, when Jeffrey Osborne became incensed after receiving his paycheck and because Jesse hadn’t finished his math homework. That’s when Jesse allegedly said he shot his father three times before driving about three miles away to Townville Elementary School, where he opened fire.
The Independent Mail reported that the teen allegedly shot two students, injured a third, and shot a third-grade teacher. First-grade student Jacob Hall, 6, died three days after being shot in the leg.
According to the transcript, Jesse recalled how he kissed his bunny and three dogs after killing his father. He also explained that he called his grandparents before a volunteer firefighter tackled him on the elementary school playground.
“Once I finally figured out I’m going to hell for this, I threw the gun away and I just took my vest off, threw my hat down and called my Papa and Nana and just told them what happened. And they said they were going to come down, pick me up and take me to the Sheriff’s Office. And I was like, ‘Papa, you can’t do that. I’m going to get arrested.’ And that’s basically when the fireman came around the corner,” he reportedly explained to police.
Jesse reportedly said that he was grateful that he loaded the wrong ammunition into the gun he used in the fatal shooting because it jammed after every shot, possibly preventing more deaths.
“I wish I could go back,” he said, according to the transcript. “But I’m pretty sure you can’t. So everything’s done. Can’t be redone. So I kind of have to live with it now.”
[Featured Image: Jesse Osborne, Jeffrey Osborne, and Jacob Hall/Facebook]