28-year-old Shawn Osborne made his initial appearance in Sheridan County Circuit Court on 1st Degree Murder charges Tuesday. Osborne was arrested Friday after Sheridan Police received a tip about the murder.
Law enforcement officers surrounded the trailer house at 1075 Bellevue Avenue and found the trailer’s owner, Dennis David, and Osborne inside.
The affidavit of probable cause in the case alleges that Osborne killed 42-year-old Gerald Bloom sometime prior to 3 o’clock Friday morning. The crime wasn’t reported to police until after 2 that afternoon.
Osborne, David, Bloom and the woman who reported the crime all apparently reside in the trailer.
During the investigation police learned that Osborne had threatened to kill Bloom shortly before the alleged time of the murder. Osborne also may have threatened another man who went to police once he was made aware of that threat.
The investigation also revealed that Bloom was killed in his bedroom and his body was put into a sleeping bag and placed underneath the porch of the trailer where police later recovered the body. Bloom’s throat appeared to have been cut and police collected several sharp objects from the home but have not positively identified the murder weapon.
At this point, there have been no further arrests in the case. Osborne will appear in Circuit Court again for a preliminary hearing within 10 days. Judge John Sampson ordered Osborne held on a $150,000 cash only bond. If convicted Osborne faces mandatory life in prison.
