He was tried. (transcription)
Lawyer says Osgood killed wife in jealous rage
John F Brown
Times Herald Reporter
A Kimball Township man who admits killing his wife last summer says he did so in a rage of passion, without premeditation, according to his lawyer.
William H Osgood says he killed his wife, Yvonne Mariene Osgood, 39, but defense lawyer Davi M Dean told a St Clair Conty Circuit Court jury Thursday that the charge should be manslaughter instead of murder as the prosecutor is seeking.
Osgood faces up to life in prison if convicted of the murder charge. A manslaughter conviction carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
Dean in his opening statement to the jury of seven men and seven women said Osgood would testify in his own defense. 'William Osgood shot and killed his wife,' Dean said. 'He came to the police department and admitted to detectives he shot his wife. There was no plan here. He'll tell you what happened in his own words. Mr Osgood has to live with what he did. He's lost his children and his self-esteem. When he realized what he had done, he ran. Yes, he ran.'
assistant Prosecutor Elwood I Brown told the jurors the evidence in the case would prove that Osgood planned the murder. Testimony will show that Mrs Osgood was shot once in the face and once in the side of the head, Brown said.
'William Osgood killed his wife, and he had a plan,' Brown said. 'He carried out that plan. Listen to the witnesses to make up yur mind. We will prove William Osgood mrdered his wife.'
Osgood, 41, of 1845 N Allen Road, is charged with open murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in the Aug 18, shooting death.
Mrs Osgood was found by her son, William H Osgood Jr, 16, on the kitchen floor of their home. She had been shot twice. Mrs Osgood was taken to Mercy Hospital, Port Huron, where she died a short time later.
Osgood fled from their home, and two days after the killing he drove to the St Clair County Sherriff Department on his motorcycle and turned himself in to officers.
Dean said, 'The prosecution can't tell you two seconds before that gun is fired what goes through a person's mind. It is manslaughter not murder. It is no excuse, but it is not murder.' It was not a wicked and cruel killing, but one brought about by jealous passion, Dean said.
Osgood, wearing a powder blue sport coat, blue shirt and black slacks, sat at the defense table with his arms folded across his chest. He bowed his head slightly away from the jurors as Dean spoke.
Prosecution witnesses testified Thursday that Osgood and his wife were jealous of each other. Their daughter, Karen Osgood, 15, testified Thursday that the family had planned to attend a picnic in Goodells on the day of the murder. 'We were planning to go to the Teamsters' picnic,' Karen said. Mrs. Osgood was employed by the Teamsters Credit Union, 2441 W Water St, Port Huron. Brown asked Karen Osgood: 'Did you hear a discussion between your parents?' Karen Osgood: 'They had planned on going to the picnic. They were arguing back and forth about going.' Brown: 'About what?' Karen Osgood: 'My father was going to question everyone at the picnic if she (Mrs Osgood) had an affair with them.'
Osgood moved back and forth in his chair at the defense table and looked away from his daughter as she testified. They looked directly at each other only once - when Brown asked her to identify her father. Dean in questioning Karen Osgood said: 'He was accusing her of having an affair?' 'Something like that,' she answered.
Ross Mason and his wife, Beverly Mason, Osgood's sister and brother-in-law, both testified that Osgood was a jealous man when it came to his wife. The Osgoods lived in the same neighborhood as children, attended school together and had been married for 22 years before Mrs Osgood was killed. 'Bill was jealous of Yvonne and Yvonne was jealous of Bill,' Beverly Mason testified.
The trial is expected to last about two weeks and is being heard before Judge Ernest F Oppliger.
William H Osgood Jr, who found his mother the day she was shot, is expected to be the prosecution's main witness today.2
(transcript)
Osgood's son takes stand in trial
by John F Brown
Times herald Reporter
A Kimball Township teen-ager testified Friday that his parents argued only hours before he found his mother shot Aug 18. William H Osgood Jr, 16, told a St Clair County Circuit Court jury that his father, William H Osgood, 41, and his mother, Yvonne Marlene Osgood, 39, argued most of the morning.
Assistant Prosecutor Elwood L Brown asked young Osgood to explain to the jurors what happened that morning. Osgood said: 'They had a disagreement. One wanted to go to the picnic, the other didn't. My mother didn't want to go.' 'Why>' Brown asked. Osgood: 'My rather didn't like the people she worked for.' The younger Osgood said his father believed his mother was having an affair with a co-worker at the Teamsters Credit Union, 2441 W Water St. The Teamsters were holding a picnic that day in Goodells.
Brown asked Osgood: "How long did he feel this way?" Osgood: "Ever since she (Mrs Osgood) worked as a secretary at the Teamsters." Mrs Osgood joined the credit union staff in 1981.
Osgood said he left his mother and father at home and took his sister, Karen, to the picnic. When young Osgood returned alone to the home in the early afternoon of Aug 18, he found his mother on the kitchen floor. "I walked up to her and saw she was wounded. I tried to use the phone in the kitchen but it wouldn't work. I ran to a neighbor's to call for an ambulance," Osgood said.
Brown asked Osgood: "Bill, did you have any firecrackers around that day?" Osgood: "Yes, sir." Brown: "Did you ever keep any in the kitchen?" Osgood: "No, sir."
Earler, neighbors testified that they saw the senior Osgood shooting off firecrackers from his patio deck and they heard what sounded like gunshots coming from the kitchen of the Osgood house. Brown contends Osgood was shooting off firecrackers to disguise the gunshots.
Brown asked young Osgood: "Was you father jealous of your mother?" Osgood: "Yes sir, he was." David M Dean, Osgood's defense lawyer, asked the teen-ager how long the discussion between his parents lasted on Aug 18. "They were arguing all morning that day," he said.
Brown contends Osgood planned the killing of his wife. Dean told jurors that Osgood admits to shooting his wife but contends it is a case of manslaughter, not murder. Dean said it happened in a moment of jealous passion.
Judge Ernest F Opplier adjourned the trial at 4:30 pm Friday until 9 AM Tuesday. Brown is expected to complete his case Tuesday Afternoon. Dean said Osgood will testify in his own defense.3
Osgood wife confesses affair; he kills her
by John F Brown
Times Herald Reporter
(transcription)
A Kimball Township man told a packed courtroom Tuesday that he killed his wife after she told him she was having a love affair and wanted a divorce.
William H Osgood, 41, testified that he felt like he was in a dream when he shot and killed his wife, Yvonne Mariene Osgood, 39, on Aug 18, 1985. Osgood, held on an open murder charge, is on trial in St Clair County Circuit Court. It was the fourth day of testimony. Testimony in the case is expected to end today when defense lawyer David M Dean calls his final witness. Assistan Prosecutor Elwood L Brown said Osgood planned his wife's murder. But Dean maintains the killing was a crime of passion and should be treated as of manslaughter not murder.
Fourteen jurors and a full courtroom of relatives and spectators listened in silence as Osgood told how jealousy led to his wife's death. Seated in the witness chair, Osgood covered his face several times with his right hand to hold back his tears. He told the court he had planned to attend a Teamster's picnic in Goodella with his wife on the day he killed her. Mrs Osgood was employed at the Teamsters Credit Union, 2441 W Water St.
Dean asked Osgood, a self-employed carpenter, what happened. Osgood said his wife did not want to go to the picnic. They were in the kitchen of their home at 1045 N Allen Road. "I was standing looking out the patio and she (Mrs Osgood) started talking about a guy she was having an affair with,: Osgood said. "She had made love with him. She said she was going to divorce me tomorrow." Distraught, Osgood put his hand to his face and bowed his head. The only sound in the courtroom was the sobbing of one of Osgood's relatives.
"I shot my wife," Osgood said as he regained his composure. "I reached up in the cupboard, grabbed the gun... Bang, bang, the gun went off. I shot her. She was sitting in a chair." Dean asked: "Wjat happened then?" Osgood: "I don't remember." Dean: "Do you remember two shots?" Osgood: "Yes, no, I don't remember." Dean" Did you shoot twice?" Osgood: "Yes. The gun was loaded. There was a clip in it." Dean: "What happened then?" Osgood: "I don't know. It's all a dream. I must have gone out to the patio and shot off some firecrackers...Maybe to cover up the shots - I don't know." Dean: "Did you plan this murder?" Osgood: "No, sir."
Earlier testimony by witnesses indicated Osgood believed his wife was having an affair with a co-worker, William B "Tim" Drechsler. Drechsler testified Tuesday that he knew Mrs Osgood, but he denied having an affair with her. Dean called nine character witnesses - friends and business associates of Osgood - on Tuesday. They all depicted Osgood as a man of honesty and good character.
Judge Ernest F Oppliger will instruct the jurors, who are expected to begin their deliberations today. If Osgood is convicted of murder he faces up to life in prison. If the jury finds him guilty of manslaughter he faces a sentence of up to 15 years in prison.
Mrs Osgood's body was found by her son, William H Osgood Jr, 16, on the kitchen floor of their home. She was taken to Mercy Hospital and died a short time later in the emergency room. Osgood fled from their home, and two days after the killing he drove to the St Clair County Sheriff Department on his motorcycle and turned himself [in]..4
Osgood jury brings back first-degree murder verdict
by Margaret Whitmer
Times Herald Reporter
(Transcription)
A Kimball Township man faces up to life in prison after a jury found him guilty Thursday of first-degree murder in the Aug 18 shooting death of his wife, Yvonne. The jury of six men and six women deliberated Wednesday and Thursday before finding William H Osgood guilty of first-degree murder and possession of a fireamr during the commision of a felony.
Osgood, 41, originally held on an open murder charge, was returned to the St Clair County jail pending a March 3 sentencing date.
"We're surprised," said his lawyer, David Dean, who plans to appeal the case. "I;d say the jury felt it was a planned event. Personally, I feel the evidence did not substantiate findings of first degree murder,: Dean said. After the verdict, Osgood told a reporter, "I know it wasn't fair. A lot of testimony was not brought out and a lot of lies were spoken. Hopefully at the next trial that will be brought out."
Osgood testified Tuesday that he killed his wife, Yvonne Marlene Osgood, 39, after she told him she was having a love affair and wanted a divorce. Dean maintained the killing was a crime of passion and should be treated as manslaughter, not murder. An open murder charge meant the jury could have brought in a verdict of murder in the first degree, second degree, or manslaughter. The manslaughter charge would have brought a sentence of up to 15 years in prison.
Osgood showed little emotion during and after the verdict was read. He briefly grasped the hands of friends and family members before being escorted from the court toom.
Assistant Prosecutor Elwood Brown said, "I have to give a lot of credit to the jury. They had a difficult case and they took a lot of time." The jury began deliberating at 3:30 pm Wednesday and concluded at 3:30 pm Thursday. "All I can say is they must have weighed the evidence and I'm pleased with the verdict. Personally, I feel they had plenty of evidence to support it," Brown said. Osgood testified he felt like he was in a dream when he shot and killed his wife. "I reached up in the cupboard, grabbed the gun ... bang, bang, the gun went off, I shot her," he testified.
Mrs Osgood was found by her son, William H Osgood Jr, 16, on the kitchen floor of their home. She was taken to Mercy Hospital and died a short time later in the emergency room.
Dean said he believed his client found the testimony of a neighbors daughter most damaging. "She said the shots came from inside the house when other witnesses, including their parents could not say that,: he said. Brown disagreed. "The parents didn't see it. (The girl) was on the front porch watching. The parents were in the garage and couldn't see. Every witness testifies from their own perspective."5
Osgood gets life sentence in wife's shooting death
by John F Brown
Times Herald Reporter
(transcription with repetitive parts left out )
A Kimball Township man has been sentenced to life in prison for the Aug 18 shooting death of his wife. William H Osgood, 51, of 1045 N Allen Road, was sentenced Monday by Circuit Judge Ernest F Oppliger, St Clair County. Osgood testiied that he killed his wife, Yvonne Mariene Osgood, 39, after she told him she was having a love affair and wanted a divorce. Others testified that she was not having an affair.
A Circuit Court jury found Osgood guilty Jan 30 of first-degree murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Oppliger also sentenced Osgood to serve two years in prison on the firearms charge. The sentence is to run concurrent with the life sentence.
.......
David M Dean, Osgood's lawyer, said Osgood plans to appeal the verdict. Osgood told Oppliger before he was sentenced that he didn't believe he had received a fair trial. Dean had maintained throughout the trial that Yvonne Osgood was killed during a crime of passion and the death should be treated as manslaughter, not murder. Assistant Prosecutor Elwood L Brown said the verdict was supported by evidence in the case.7
Yvonne was shooted by her husband two time in the head. She leaves behided and daughter and a son that deeply miss their her.
Yvonna Osgood
Kimball Township Yvonna Marlene Osgood,39 of 1045 N.Allen Road, die Sunday Aug.18,1985.
She was born March 23 1946 in Port Huron where she lived all of her life. She married William H Osgood July 1,1967 in Port Huron.
Mrs. Osgood was a member of First Presbyterian Church. She was employed at Teamster's Credit Union.
She is survived by her husband; one son Willaim H Osgood II and one daughter, Karen E Osgood and her Parents Edwin Isaac and Everene Joyce Isaac, all of Port Huron; three sisters Mrs. Douglas (gail) Case, Sterling Heights, Mrs James (Suzanne)Alexander of Yale and Vonda Walker of Port Huron and several anuts,uncles,nieces and nephews.
Services will be held at 11a.m Thursday in the Pallock-Randall Funeral Home,Port Huron. The Rev. J.Alton Cressman will officiate. Burial will be in Woodland Cemetery.
Pallbears will be Ed Gonzales, Pete Isaac, Willie Nichols, Bill Cummings, Ray Newberry and Ron Pennell.
Visiting is from 7 to 9 p.m. today and 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday.
Memorials may be made to the blue water Chapter of Michigan Kidney Foundation.2