Trial set for man accused of beating, strangling girlfriend to death

IOWA CITY - The murder trial for a man accused of killing his live-in girlfriend earlier this month has been set for May, according to court records.

Eric Osborn was charged with 1st degree murder after he admitted to hitting Sarah McKay with a baseball bat and strangling her to death on March 7.

His trial is set for May 10 at 9 a.m., and the pretrial conference is set for April 29 at 3 p.m.

Johnson County Sheriff's Deputies found McKay, 34, dead in the back bedroom at 18 Expo Dr. and Osborn, bleeding from the neck and arms, in the front seat of his truck outside.

Osborn, 26, told the deputies that he hit McKay in the head with a baseball bat around 3 a.m. Sunday, and then choked her because he didn't want her to suffer. He said they'd been drinking and that he had also smoked marijuana and taken some pills.

Osborn told investigators that he then blacked out and didn't remember what he'd done. He said that he tried to kill himself once he realized he'd killed McKay, which caused him to blackout again. Osborn told investigators that he had no idea why he killed McKay.

His bail is set at $1,000,000 cash.