A man who as a teenager carried out a school shooting killing his dad and a six-year-old child has finally apologised to the victims and their families in court.
Jesse Osborne, now 21, is serving a life sentence without parole for killing the child on a South Carolina playground when he was 14.
His lawyer asked a judge to reconsider his sentence so Osborne, now 21, could have some hope of freedom in his 50s or 60s.
During a hearing, Osborne expressed remorse for the shooting and apologised to the students, teachers, and families affected by the tragedy.
He mentioned that he wished he could turn back time and admitted that he needed help.
Osborne emphasised that he was not trying to seek a lesser sentence and stated: "I would just like to say, sorry to my own family for everything I’ve done.
"Sorry to the Hall family for everything. Sorry to every kid that was at that playground that day, to every kid who was at that school that day, to every teacher who was at the school that day."
Attorney Frank Eppes said the judge didn't fully consider a psychologist's report that Osborne's lashed out because of abuse and can be rehabilitated.
“Give Jesse some hope to live with,” Eppes said at a televised court hearing.
But the teacher whose class was having recess, the parent of a wounded child, the father of the student celebrating his birthday, the superintendent who saw the bloodstained class rug and the school principal all said at Monday's hearing at the Anderson County Courthouse that they don't want to ever see Osborne out of prison.
Principal Denise Fredericks recognised Osborne as he paced outside Townville Elementary School with a backpack full of ammunition for 12 minutes after his gun jammed before police arrived to arrest him.
Osborne had been a student there for seven years.
“I do wish Jesse a life where he can wake up, breathe, eat, work, be productive — but not outside the walls of a prison,” Fredericks said.
“In my opinion, his current sentence is still so, so much more merciful than the sentence he gave to Jacob and our school family.”
Prosecutors said Hall's family didn't wish to speak in court but wanted Osborne to never be released from prison.
Osborne is serving two life sentences after pleading guilty.
Before opening fire at the school on September 28, 2016, he shot and killed his dad while he slept in a recliner, kissed his rabbit and other pets goodbye, then stole his dad's truck and drove to his former elementary school, according to Osborne's confession.
Osborne crashed his truck into the school fence and fired at the first-grade class celebrating a classmate's birthday at recess.
Hall bled to death from a gunshot to his leg.
Two other students and a teacher suffered minor injuries.
Uneaten cupcakes with the Batman logo could still be seen on the ground inside police tape hours after the shooting.
“My son hates his birthday now,” father Jeff Bernard told the judge.
Prosecutors said Osborne wanted to kill dozens but he was carrying the wrong ammunition and his gun jammed after every shot.
“He didn’t stop because he wanted to. The gun jammed. Thank God the gun jammed,” Fredericks said.
Osborne's lawyer said a video call he had opened up to a group chat with people who knew his plan showed him sobbing, upset and ready to give up after the first shots.
He is asking the judge to consider a supplemental report from a psychologist that disagrees with prosecution experts who testified at Osborne's original sentencing that he is a dangerous and pathological liar with no remorse.
Osborne's brain was still developing in his teens and the psychiatrists cited by the defence said he has shown guilt and grief and responded to treatment during the nearly seven years since his arrest on school grounds.
His lawyer suggested a 30-year minimum sentence for the two counts of murder, followed by 15 years for shooting at the other children and then lifetime monitoring by GPS after he is released from prison with one review after 10 years.
McIntosh asked for a detailed report from the defence expert in the next month and told prosecutors they would have at least 10 days to respond.
A number of students never returned to the school after the shooting.
Some haven't returned to any school and a popped balloon led to a school dance ending in tears.
Recess is still filled with anxiety, said teacher Meghan Hollingsworth, whose class was celebrating her birthday that day. Her child was in kindergarten just down the hall.
"The screams of children having fun send a panic through me as I look to see who is screaming and see if they are OK," she said.
She asked the judge to think about a sign in her first-grade classroom and uphold his life sentence handed down more than three years ago,
“You are free to choose, but you are not free from the consequences of your choices,” it reads.
