The 23-year-old white supremacist who stabbed a black Bowie State University student to death has been indicted for a hate crime, Prince George County State Attorney Angela Alsobrooks announced Tuesday (Oct. 17). Sean Urbanski, a former University of Maryland student, killed Lt. Richard W. Collins “because of his race,” Alsobrooks said.
Urbanski belonged to a white supremacist Facebook group called Alt-Reight: Nation; was a Donald Trump supporter; and made various racist comments online in addition to liking racist memes and posts.
He initially dodged hate crime charges in July due to lack of evidence, but in the months since, prosecutors collected “lots and lots of digital evidence” to warrant the indictment returned by a grand jury.
“We are comfortable at this point that the motive in this case was race, and that’s what’s required [for a hate crime charge],” said Alsobrooks, who is seeking life without parole for Urbanski, according to the Capital Gazette. “What we are saying is that Lt. Collins was killed because of his race.”
Collins, 23, was waiting for an Uber on the UMC campus when he encountered Urbanski, who threatened him before stabbing him in the chest. The two did not know each other.