Sean Christopher Urbanski, the white University of Maryland student who is accused of stabbing and killing black Bowie State student Richard Collins III on May 20, has been indicted on charges in the crime and will be heading to trial, but he will not be facing hate crime charges.
Urbanski, 22, is charged with killing the 22-year-old Collins just three days before Collins was set to graduate from his historically black college, and officials told NBC Washington that video of the attack, which police say was unprovoked, was instrumental in getting the indictment.
Although the FBI and local police investigated the killing as a possible hate crime, Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Angela Alsobrooks said at a news conference Thursday afternoon that prosecutors were not able to bring hate crime charges against Urbanski.
“We didn’t have enough today,” Alsobrooks said.
Although Urbanski was found to be a member of a Facebook group called “Alt-Reich Nation,” where members posted hateful things about black people and other groups, Alsobrooks said it’s often difficult to build a hate crime case.
“Developing a motive is always a challenging aspect of a case. In this case, and in any other case, you can’t get it wrong,” she said.
NBC notes that the investigation into the case is ongoing, and it is possible that a hate crime could still be charged in the future if evidence is found to support it.
In the meantime, prosecutors are seeking a life-without-parole sentence on the murder charges against Urbanski.
It’s unfortunate that this will not be prosecuted as a hate crime because we all know that’s exactly what it was. The way prosecutors have to tap-dance around the law just to get any type of justice is sickening.
Let’s pray that we get a conviction when Urbanski goes to trial.
We know how these stories tend to go for us.
Read more at NBC Washington.