A grand jury in Burke County has returned a “no bill” to Hannah Cobb, the woman accused of murdering her boyfriend, Telvin Osborne, by shooting him on Feb. 23.
That means Cobb will not face charges, including even the felony charge of involuntary manslaughter for which she was originally arrested. The case is closed, District Attorney Jared Williams said.
“As the Grand Jury has spoken, the case is closed,” Williams announced in a statement Friday, with no aim of seeking further legal action unless there is new evidence. It is a technical possibility under the law, but more than likely not, in light of prosecutorial quiet.
But beneath this legal closure lies a sinister and grim story. It was a story of nights out drinking, bruising arguments, shouting, and a final gunshot that killed one man and let the suspected killer off free.
A Bloody Morning in Keysville
Around dawn on Feb. 23, deputies had arrived at a frantic 911 call made by Cobb herself. She told the dispatcher that she was “cleaning or clearing” her 9 mm pistol when it suddenly went off and shot 30-year-old Telvin Osborne in the chest in the master bedroom of a home at 4 Points Road.
Osborne was later declared dead at the hospital.
But Cobb’s initial account of a tragic accident while cleaning a gun during routine maintenance began to fall apart soon afterward.
Burke County Sheriff Alfonzo Williams disputed her version in a public statement several days later, saying, “There was no evidence or information about anyone cleaning a gun before this happened.” He added that alcohol was involved and police were not treating the shooting as an accident.
An Ugly Relationship, a Deadly Night
The truth, it seems, is locked in the harassing and stormy Cobb-Osborne marriage. One that had been characterized as chaotic, toxic, and violent in court.
At a hearing in March, there was more complexity. Osborne had a history of emotional and sometimes physical abuse, according to Cobb’s family. There were allegations of adultery, and tensions had boiled over that evening after the couple arrived home from clubbing in Augusta around 2 a.m.
Cobb admitted to deputies that they had been having a fight. She described Osborne as having been speaking with another woman, and things became physical. She claimed they routinely checked their guns before bedtime, a bizarre practice in and of itself, and on this night, her 9 mm fired as she was “checking it,” believing the safety was on.
The prosecution, however, presented a darker version.
“You’d Better Hide”: The Texts, the Knife, the Ring Camera Footage
According to court records, Cobb told investigators Osborne returned to the house after she’d locked him out during their altercation. She claimed he pulled an 8-inch knife and threatened her life.
Prosecutors confirmed that the knife she described was found exactly where she said it would be.
Adding to the harrowing account were text messages from Osborne sent after he was locked out: “You’d better hide.” Cobb even called his mother, trying to calm him down, but the situation escalated.
Cobb reported that she ran into the bathroom, and Osborne kicked the door in. In a chilling conclusion to that night, she told investigators she was afraid for her life, she turned, and she fired one shot. That one shot pierced Osborne’s chest.
Police, upon arrival, found Cobb holding pressure on the wound, the one she had inflicted.
On April 24, the fate of Cobb hung in the balance as the case was finally presented before a grand jury. No matter the knife, the threats, the brawling, the boozing, the contradictions, and the dead body on the floor, the jury delivered what is legally known as a “no bill” and declined to indict her on any charge.
Cobb had previously been released on a $25,000 bond, asked to surrender all firearms, and subjected to level 1 electronic monitoring. But now, with no charges having been filed, those conditions are likely to vanish.
Dead Man, Silent Justice
So what happens when someone is murdered violently, in his own home, by a person who openly admits pulling the trigger, but yet no one goes to trial?
This is not just a court decision. It is a poignant observation of how stories get distorted, how stories shift, and how justice can slide quietly out of sight under the guise of complexity.
What began as a tale of alleged self-defense is now a closed case. No trial, no jury, no verdict. Only a dead man, a woman released, and a community left to ponder:
What really happened behind that door on 4 Points Road? And why does it seem like we’ll never know?
This is a developing story, or at least it should be.
