CULLMAN, Ala. – The Cullman County District Attorney’s Office announced that Circuit Judge Martha Williams sentenced Andrew Jacob Maresh to 99 years in prison for the intentional murder of Daniel Ray Osborn, II Feb 22, 2022.
According to a press release from the Cullman County District Attorney’s Office:
“As promised after his conviction in October, our office requested that Maresh be sentenced to life in prison,” said District Attorney Blaylock. “The testimony at trial revealed that Maresh and his accomplices took elaborate steps in the planning and the cover-up of their murder of Daniel Ray Osborn, II. It is apparent that these actions were considered against Maresh by Judge Williams when she handed down the lengthy sentence. Now that Maresh has been sentenced to 99 years in prison, our office will continue forward with the prosecution of Maresh’s two accomplices.”
The account of the murder included:
“In February 2018, Daniel Ray Osborn, II was with Andrew Maresh and Tyler Hudson at the residence of Susan Smith, who is Maresh’s grandmother, in the Fairview community. Osborn was killed after suffering a gunshot wound to the back of his head. The defendants eventually returned to the property where they buried his body in a shovel-dug grave. They also took steps to stage a cover-up in an attempt to conceal that they had killed Osborn. Shortly after his disappearance, the family of Osborn filed a missing persons report with the Hartselle Police Department. At trial, the jury heard testimony that the defendants continued to use Osborn’s cellphone to mislead his family, friends and law enforcement into believing that Osborn was still alive. Approximately seven weeks later, the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office went to the property, after receiving a tip from a concerned citizen, where they recovered Osborn’s body. Investigators then obtained evidence leading to the indictments issued against Maresh, Hudson and Smith.”
In October 2021, Maresh was convicted of intentional murder for his role in the killing of Osborn. Pursuant to Alabama law, Maresh faced a possible punishment of 10-99 years or life in prison. Maresh is not eligible for good-time incentive credit due the length of his sentence and the nature of his conviction.
D.A. Wilson Blaylock and A.D.A Jeff Roberts represented the State at the sentence hearing. The case was investigated by the Hartselle Police Department and the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office.
Due to the co-defendants having conflicting defenses, Alabama law requires that their cases be tried separately.
The cases against Hudson and Smith remain pending and will be scheduled for a trial at a later date. As for the pending cases against Hudson and Smith, the law requires prosecutors to make the following disclosure: Any indication of an indictment does not mean the individual identified has been convicted of a crime. All persons indicted are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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