UPDATED: Iowa City killer sentenced to 50 years

IOWA CITY --Two years removed from the grisly murder of a 34-year-old mother in a mobile home park outside Iowa City, the wounds still feel fresh to those she left behind.

“You killed her, and all her family died with her,” a choked up Kathy McKay said Friday during a sentencing hearing for Eric Osborn, moments after he admitted to taking Sarah Elizabeth McKay's life on March 7, 2010.

Staring into the eyes of the man who killed her daughter, Kathy McKay said through tears, “The pain and agony is unimaginable. We miss her so much.”

Osborn, 29, pleaded guilty Friday to second-degree murder and immediately was sentenced to the mandatory term of up to 50 years in prison. He must serve at least 70 percent – or 35 years – before he becomes eligible for parole. As part of his plea agreement, Osborn also waived his right to appeal the conviction.

Osborn originally was charged with first-degree murder after investigators said he admitted to hitting Sarah McKay with a baseball bat and then strangling her in the home they shared in Modern Manor Mobile Home Park, 18 Expo Drive. The case was scheduled to go to trial July 10 until Osborn pleaded guilty to the lesser charge Friday.

Family members said Osborn's sentence brings no comfort. Sarah McKay was a mother, a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a niece, a coworker and a friend.

“She was close to finding her path and reaching her potential,” Kathy McKay said to Osborn on Friday. “Eric, you took her future and killer her. She never reached her highest potential. You took it. You were so possessive. She would have left you for a better life.”

The mother reminded Osborn of the child he left motherless in his brutal act.

“Her heart belonged to Emmy, her daughter,” McKay said, listing the milestones the now 11-year-old girl will go through missing her mom. Prom, choosing a college, wedding dress shopping.

“Emmy liked you and trusted you,” McKay told Osborn. “You brutally murdered Sarah Elizabeth McKay, and I will never forgive you.”

A crowd of friends and family members wept while McKay spoke, comforting her when she sat back down. Emmy chose not to attend the hearing, according to Johnson County Attorney Janet Lyness, but she was consulted about the plea agreement.

The victim's father, David McKay, also made a brief statement, reminding Osborn of the remorse he should feel.

“I don't believe the sentence you will receive will be adequate,” he said.

Osborn looked at the parents when they spoke and unfolded a piece of paper when it was his turn to talk.

“All this time, I have tried to find something to say to all of you,” Osborn said. “There are no words for what happened. … You are all good people and shouldn't have had to go through this.”

“From the bottom of my heart, I'm sorry to you all,” he said.

Osborn was arrested in March 2010 after telling police that he hit McKay in the head with a bat in the early morning hours and choked her until she died. He said he had blacked out, and when he realized what he'd done, he tried to commit suicide, slitting his throat and wrists, taking Valium and drinking bleach.

Osborn passed out and called his mother when he awoke, telling her to come to Iowa City because he thought he'd hurt McKay and that she was dead.

Osborn was taken the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, where he underwent surgery.  He later told investigators that he and McKay had gone gambling, and after they returned home, they drank beer, smoked marijuana, took some pills and played a video game before going to bed.

Police reported that Osborn told them he had no idea why he killed McKay.

County Attorney Lyness told the court that Osborn deserves the maximum sentence because of the brutality of the killing.

“He left behind a grieving child, grieving parents, a grieving brother and sister and many many friends,” Lyness said. “This punishment will not make up for it and will not do anything. But one thing the state can do is to hold him responsible for his actions.”

Johnson County Judge Mitchell Turner agreed saying, “There is no sentence I can impose that is going to bring her back.” And, he said, even if 50 years were not mandatory, he would be inclined to sentence Osborn to the maximum penalty.

Not only will the sentence provide Osborn a lengthy time for rehabilitation, Turner said, it “will provide the maximum protection for the community at large.”