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Sean Christopher Urbanski has been charged with murder

Stabbing death at University of Maryland may be a hate crime

May 23, 2017
Authorities say the man charged in the killing is a member of a racist Facebook group.

A judge has denied bond for a white University of Maryland student accused of fatally stabbing a young black student at a campus bus stop.

CNN reports that Sean Christopher Urbanski, 22, of Severna Park, Md., is charged with murder in the death of Richard Collins III, 23, a recently commissioned U.S. Army second lieutenant who was scheduled to graduate this week from nearby Bowie State University.

Urbanski is a member of a Facebook group called "Alt-Reich," which spews hatred toward minorities "and especially African-Americans," University of Maryland Police Chief David Mitchell says.

Given that evidence, the FBI is assisting the investigation as officials try to determine whether the incident was a hate crime.

Maryland District Judge Patrice E. Lewis denied bond Urbanski and called him "an absolute danger to the community."

Collins was at the University of Maryland visiting friends. At about 3 a.m. Saturday, Urbanski approached Collins and his friends and started yelling bizarre commands at Collins, witnesses told police. Urbanski then allegedly stabbed Collins in the chest.

Urbanski has been charged with first- and second-degree murder as well as first-degree assault. Urbanski's attorney argued in court that his client was intoxicated at the time of the alleged crime.

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About the Author

Mike Kennedy | Senior Editor

Mike Kennedy, senior editor, has written for AS&U on a wide range of educational issues since 1999.

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