Man sentenced to 99 years in prison for the murder of Hartselle man

CULLMAN CO., Ala. (WAFF) - Andrew Jacob Maresh, the man found guilty of murdering Daniel Ray Osborn II in 2018, was sentenced to 99 years in prison on Tuesday, according to the Cullman County District Attorney’s Office.

In October 2021, Maresh was convicted of intentional murder in connection to Osborn’s death. He was found guilty after a three-day jury trial in the Cullman County Circuit Court.

Cullman County District Attorney Wilson Blalock’s statement regarding Maresh’s sentencing:

As promised after his conviction in October, our office requested that Maresh be sentenced to life in prison. 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. From start to finish, our office has not and will not relent in seeking justice for the Osborn family. I was present at the scene when investigators removed Osborn’s body from the backyard grave, and it was an honor to represent the State and Osborn’s family at the sentencing hearing. 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 cases against Tyler Hudson and Susan Smith, the two individuals who were indicted, remain pending and will be scheduled for a trial at a later date, according to DA Blaylock.

A man charged in the 2018 murder of Daniel Ray Osborne, II was found guilty on Thursday, Oct. 2021. In February 2018, Osborne was with Andrew Maresh and Tyler Hudson at a home in the Fairview community when he was shot in the back of the head and killed.

Maresh and Husdon buried his body and staged a cover-up to prevent anyone from knowing about Osborn’s death. His family filed a missing person report with the Hartselle Police Department. Deputies with the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office found Osborne’s body approximately seven weeks. Hudson and Susan Smith, Maresh’s grandma, were also indicted in the case.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Daniel Ray Osborn, II. We are grateful that the jury was able to see through the many lies of Maresh in returning their verdict of guilty for intentional murder,” said District Attorney Blaylock.