Atlantic City Hotel Murderer Faces 21+ Years Behind Bars

Posted on: August 28, 2024, 10:11h. 

Last updated on: August 28, 2024, 10:32h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More
Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

A one-time MMA fighter was ordered to spend up to 25 years in prison for a homicide committed at an Atlantic City hotel.

Ocean Casino Resort
Ocean Casino Resort, pictured above. A murder at the Atlantic City hotel led to a prison sentence. (Image: Hotels.com)

Andrew J. Osborne, 35, of Philadelphia, will be forced to live behind bars for 21 years before he can be considered for parole, prosecutors said.

He must serve 85% of his sentence under New Jersey’s No Early Release Act before he can appeal to the parole board for release, prosecutors said. 

The sentence was handed down last Thursday by New Jersey Judge Bernard E. DeLury, Jr.

Stabbing Details

The incident began when Osborne stabbed Brian Wilkinson, 47, of Egg Harbor Township, NJ. The two were in Wilkinson’s guest room at the Ocean Casino Resort.

Wilkinson was wounded in the head and neck and his naked body was found on the floor of the hotel room hours after he was stabbed. A T-shirt and underwear were found near the body, according to BreakingAC.com.

Local news reports never revealed a motive for the deadly attack.

Hotel surveillance video showed Osborne, who was wearing some of the victim’s clothes, in an Ocean Casino elevator after the stabbing occurred. After the killing, Osborne and his wife got into a silver Hyundai Accent hatchback and returned to Philadelphia.

Osborne was apprehended three days after the Sept. 23, 2022 attack, and charged with first-degree murder and third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

Earlier this year, he was convicted of aggravated manslaughter after he admitted stabbing Wilkinson to death inside the hotel room. The Ocean Casino Resort hotel has 1,860 guest rooms in a 20-acre complex situated along the Atlantic City boardwalk.

A former professional MMA fighter, Osborne retired from the ring in 2017 with a record of 7-11-1 over several years of fighting.

Remembering the Victim

Wilkinson was a bookkeeper and previously worked for a construction company, according to NJ.com.

An obituary released by the family on the site said “Brian’s death was very tragic and sudden and will be sadly missed by everyone that knew him.”

One acquaintance, Heather L., shared that sentiment, posting “Condolences to Brian’s family and friends. I went to school with Brian and he was truly a good person. He will be missed by many.”