Murder suspect to be evaluated
Man accused of killing father says he had been experiencing hallucinations days before incident
Federal court proceedings in the case of a Mt. Pleasant man accused of killing his father in April are on hold for a psychological evaluation of his mental state before the shooting.
Jacob Allen Osawabine is accused of second-degree murder in the April 7 early-morning shooting of his father at 7183 Bellevue Drive in Mt. Pleasant.
Jacob had told others that he was experiencing hallucinations in the days before the killing, according to a court order delaying proceedings while a psychological examination is conducted.
Jacob Osawabine told police that he and his father, James Gordon Osawabine Sr., were at home when the older man left to get a beer and cigarettes, according to a criminal affidavit.
He told police that shortly after James left that he heard the front door open. Jacob told police that he believed someone was breaking in and grabbed his .38 revolver and fired a warning shot down the stairwell from the upstairs.
He fired a second shot toward the door after going downstairs, he told police.
“Several witnesses interviewed by the police provided information consistent with defendant experiencing visual and audio hallucinations in the days leading up to the charged incident as well as immediately before the shooting,” according to court records.
“Defendant told police that he believed he heard people planning to break into his house and kill him which caused him to accidentally shoot and kill the victim.”
The evaluation aims to determine the younger man’s mental competency to stand trial “so that the issue of defendant’s
competency to stand trial and evaluation of sanity at the time of the offense can be determined before trial.”
James Osawabine told police he realized he’d shot his 54-year-old father and reported it to the Tribal Police dispatch, according to the affidavit written by an officer with the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
When officers arrived, they found James lying face up near the front door with a gunshot wound to the head. Officers provided
medical assistance, but James was pronounced dead shortly before 1 a.m. by an emergency room doctor.
Officers found a handgun and “a long gun” during a sweep of the house, as well as ammunition.
Jacob was taken to Tribal police headquarters, where he waived his Miranda rights and spoke to investigators.
He’s facing prosecution in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan in Bay City because he’s Native American and the killing happened within the boundaries of the Isabella Indian Reservation.