Osborne guilty of first-degree murder
Sentencing, victim impact statements from Terry Pringle’s parents to be heard Wednesday
Jordan Osborne is guilty of firstdegree murder in the death of Terry Pringle.
Jurors delivered their verdict Tuesday evening in Peterborough Superior Court of Justice after several hours of deliberation.
As the decision was read, Bev and Ralph Kingston, Pringle’s parents, clasped the pendants that hung from their necks, which carry their late son’s ashes.
A few seats away, Osborne’s family and friends wept openly as they attempted to console one another.
Osborne appeared emotionless as he was led out of the courtroom, maintaining the same blank expression he held throughout the trial. The 26-year-old will be sentenced Wednesday after the Kingstons read their victim impact statements.
A first-degree murder conviction comes with a life sentence, with no possibility of parole for 25 years.
The trial by jury started Jan. 22. The Crown called a total of nine witnesses and the defence called two, including Osborne.
Osborne testified over the course of three days, keeping his composure throughout. He was soft-spoken and often stared down at the floor as he answered questions.
The convicted killer was one of six people charged in Pringle’s death. The others, including two teenagers, pleaded guilty to their crimes or were found guilty in court.
Pringle’s body was found in a pool of blood in his apartment on Nov. 26, 2016. He died of blunt force trauma.
A forensic pathologist testified the injuries Pringle suffered were consistent with face of a hammer.
Osborne admitted to attacking the father of three with a 17ounce hammer, striking him in the head multiple times. At one point, the weapon became lodged in the victim’s skull.
That hammer was later bleached and hidden in a home on Romaine Street.
Osborne claimed he didn’t intend to kill Pringle, but his cocaine high mixed with several drinks made him lose “control”
of his body.
He testified he went to Pringle’s home to deliver a message for Samantha Hall, a drug dealer who lived in the same Stewart Street apartment building as Pringle.
She wanted Pringle “roughed up” so he’d stop telling people she was dealing drugs.
Osborne and a 15-year-old accepted the task for a payment of $60 worth of cocaine. A 16-yearold went along to get a photo to prove the job was done.
Before leaving Bethune Street, where Osborne lived, the teen — who can’t be named — grabbed a baseball bat and Osborne grabbed the hammer. Both testified they didn’t know the other packed a weapon.
When they finally got into Pringle’s apartment through the window, Osborne immediately began bashing the victim in the head and the teen joined in with the bat.
Not one word was uttered to Pringle before he was attacked, so no message was ever delivered, court heard.
When the duo left Pringle’s apartment, the 42-year-old was lying on the floor, “groaning.”
The defence argued Osborne went to Pringle’s with the intent to “scare him” or “rough him up” but his intoxicated state made him act impulsively.
The jurors didn’t agree.