Less than two weeks before it was scheduled to begin, the trial for the former University of Maryland student charged with murder and a hate crime in the death of 2nd. Lt. Richard Collins has been delayed for a fourth time.
Judge Lawrence Hill granted Sean Urbanski’s lawyers’ motion for more time Thursday, Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office spokesperson Denise Roberts told The Diamondback. The trial will now begin Dec. 9, she said.
The defense claimed they needed more time for an expert to sort through evidence from Urbanski’s cell phone, Roberts said. Last month, Hill ruled that evidence — which included racist memes — was admissible in court, despite Urbanski’s lawyers’ efforts to bar it.
According to court filings, the evidence the prosecution has shared with Urbanski’s defense team so far contains security footage tracking Collins’ and Urbanski’s movements from Cornerstone Grill & Loft, Target and Terrapin’s Turf. In addition to cell phone records, there’s also body camera footage of Urbanski’s arrest, his phone calls from jail and interviews with witnesses.
As of mid-May, the defense had also requested access to Urbanski’s physical cell phone for a “forensic extraction” of the device, the court filings show.
Police say Urbanski, who is white, fatally stabbed Collins, a black Bowie State University student, while he was waiting at a campus bus stop in May 2017.
