KWWL.com - News & Weather for Waterloo, Dubuque, Cedar Rapids & Iowa City, Iowa | Eric Osborn charged with first-degree murder in girlfriend's death

Eric Osborn charged with first-degree murder in girlfriend's death

IOWA CITY (KWWL) - In a search warrant affidavit, police say that Eric Osborn admitted to killing his girlfriend, Sarah McKay on Sunday.

He has been charged with first-degree murder. Osborn's bail has been set at $1 million cash bond.

A preliminary hearing has been set for March 22.

The court report states that Osborn told investigators he hit her in the head with a baseball bat at 3:00 a.m. on Sunday morning and then choked McKay until she died.

According to the affidavit, Osborn then tried to kill himself, by slitting his wrists, drinking bleach and slitting his throat.

Osborn is currently hospitalized.

Deputies were called at 9:29 p.m. Sunday by a friend of the family of Osborn.

McKay and Osborn lived together at 18 Expo Drive in the Modern Manor mobile home park near Iowa City.

Deputies arrived at 9:41pm and found Eric Scott Osborn with injuries and a female resident deceased. 

According to investigators, Osborn admitted to Deputies that he had killed her and had inflicted his injuries on himself.

An autopsy was completed on was on Tuesday at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

The Assistant State Medical Examiner Marcus Nashelsky M.D. and Johnson County Medical Examiner Stephen Scheckel M.D. ruled the death of Sarah Elizabeth McKay a homicide. 

The cause of death being "injuries of the head and neck."

Eric Osborn is in the custody of the Johnson County Sheriff.  He is being treated for medical purposes at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.   

Osborn has had several run-ins with law enforcement through the years in various Iowa counties.

Just last year in Johnson County, he was charged with first offense OWI. He was sentenced to 180 days in jail and one year of probation. After a week in jail the rest of the jail term was suspended.

In 2004, Osborn was charged with three felony counts of a controlled substance violation in Muscatine County. A ten-year prison sentence was suspended and he served three years of probation on each of the three counts.

Back in 2001 in Muscatine County he was charged with third-degree burglary of an unoccupied motor vehicle. A one-year jail term was suspended. He served two years of probation.

That same year in Muscatine County he was fined for discharging a firearm.

Online News Director: Nate Leding