1 day after hate crime acquittal, College Park killer found guilty in Bowie State student death

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.

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"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: 

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The Associated Press contributed to this report

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