Former MMA fighter stabbed man to death during 20-minute spree in Atlantic City hotel room

A former mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter has admitted to fatally stabbing a man in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Andrew Osborne, 35, pleaded guilty to stabbing and killing Brian Wilkerson, 47, in an Ocean Casino hotel room on September 23, 2022. After entering the plea Thursday, New State Police guidelines Jersey are recommending a sentence of 25 years, the Atlantic County, New Jersey, district attorney's office said in a statement.

He will be sentenced in August.

Osborne stabbed Wilkerson in the head and neck before leaving his hotel room wearing his victim's shoes and pants, local media outlet NJ.com reports. The entire ordeal lasted less than half an hour.

Wilkerson's door was opened just before 7 a.m. the morning of his murder, with the deadbolt engaged to prevent it from closing, according to NJ.com. Ten minutes later, security footage captured the former MMA fighter exiting an elevator on Wilkerson's floor at 7:09 a.m.

The door closed two minutes later and reopened at 7:30 a.m., according to the hotel's lockout report, according to NJ.com. Security footage captured him returning to his room with a black bag. Osborne and his wife then drove to the parking lot a few minutes later and left the hotel.

Osborne checked in just hours before the murder, while Wilkerson checked in the night before. Her body was discovered at 1:30 p.m. on the day of her murder, NJ.com reports.

Police said Osborne and his wife returned to their home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, before police arrested the former MMA fighter three days later.

Osborne fought in MMA from 2012 to 2013, according to ESPN.

Wilkerson was a native of Galloway, New Jersey, according to his obituary. The 47-year-old worked for a construction company until becoming an accountant in 2008. He also attended a local Lutheran church.

“Brian's death was very tragic and sudden and will be greatly missed by all who knew him,” his obituary read.