Latest news with #Osgood
CBS News
02-05-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Community Healing Response Network offers support, resources to Boston residents after traumatic incidents
When Boston Mayor Michelle Wu addressed reporters about the death of a five-year old boy who was hit by a bus and killed in Hyde Park, her voice shook with emotion. Expressing sympathy for the boy's family and his community, she assured residents that the city's Community Healing Response Network would be available to anyone who needed help to process the trauma. CHRC, which operates under the Boston Public Health Commission, involves hospitals, health care providers, faith leaders, community groups, and the responders themselves; roughly 30 people who live in the city and undergo training to provide emotional support and (with CPR and Stop The Bleed training) assistance during medical emergencies. Most often, they respond to incidents of gun violence but also report to crime scenes and deadly accidents when the victims are 18 and younger. "Sometimes people just need you to be there," explains CHRC Director Donald Osgood. "This work for me is very important." "Psychological first aid" Osgood grew up in Boston. A father and grandfather, his first "psychological first aid" training came when he decided to volunteer. He mentions, good-naturedly, "I was a knucklehead when I was a young fellow." Osgood knows how it feels to survive violent crime. He was stabbed twice in the late 1980's (in one attack, he was stabbed multiple times) and was shot in 1990. Eventually, he transformed his life into one of advocacy and purpose. "I wanted to give back," he explains. He has been working in violence prevention in Boston for the past 20 years. "My God-given gift is to be present for people during these times," he says when asked about his work at CHRC. "It's rewarding and sad at the same time because we're meeting people when something crazy has taken place in their lives." Osgood says that he leans on his faith and his therapist. He is glad that the stigma around mental health is changing. "None of the things I do were around when I was young... Back then there was no thought to it. We didn't talk about trauma." He and the team of responders offer what wasn't available when he was a young man. "There was nothing in place, so I went through all those different emotions myself," he explained. Building relationships in the neighborhoods Osgood says that because responders live in the neighborhoods they serve, people are often more willing to trust them and open up. Relationships matter. It's not unusual for him--or another network responder--to receive a call from a community member about an incident even before Boston Police reach out to the network. When responders arrive, they make themselves available to people who may need basic items like water or tissues. They watch and listen. They help people in heightened states of anxiety begin to calm down. They offer support at the scene and, sometimes, weeks or months after the incident. Osgood says it is not unusual for a family member to brush off help in the hours immediately after a traumatic event, only to decide it's necessary later. Days, weeks, or even months later, he says, the network responders are there to help. The goal, whenever someone calls, is to connect them with resources that foster healing. Marilyn Forman, a leader in two community associations who also serves as the Director of Community Organizing and Resident Engagement at Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation partners with CHRC. She says it is a critical, much-appreciated resource when people are hurting. "They're compassionate because they're from the neighborhood," Forman said. "They understand the grief and what you're going through. And part of your healing is about connecting and talking." "They never leave you" When an entire neighborhood is processing the same grief, talking with someone who is trained to assist can be especially valuable. "You have your family. You have your friends. But they're going through it too. So when the response team shows up, they're trained to be that ear and to listen to how people are offer the different supports and resources to help people. And they never leave you. That's what makes the biggest difference." Osgood says, in Hyde Park, CHRC will work with the neighborhood association when the time is right to put together "healing circles" for the community. Asked what feels most gratifying in his work, he looks out at families playing in the South End's Titus Sparrow Park. "Seeing kids smile. Seeing a mom who may have gone through something heavy walk away--at least with a smile on her face knowing that it doesn't feel good today, but we're going to get through it," Osgood said. "And we have people working with us to help us get through it." Support is available to ALL residents who feel affected by community violence. You can access services by calling the support line at 617-431-0125. You can also reach out to the Community Healing and Response Network neighborhood teams directly. All services are free and confidential.
CBS News
02-05-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Community Healing Resource Network offers support, resources to Boston residents after traumatic incidents
When Boston Mayor Michelle Wu addressed reporters about the death of a five-year old boy who was hit by a bus and killed in Hyde Park, her voice shook with emotion. Expressing sympathy for the boy's family and his community, she assured residents that the city's Community Healing Resource Network would be available to anyone who needed help to process the trauma. CHRC, which operates under the Boston Public Health Commission, involves hospitals, health care providers, faith leaders, community groups, and the responders themselves; roughly 30 people who live in the city and undergo training to provide emotional support and (with CPR and Stop The Bleed training) assistance during medical emergencies. Most often, they respond to incidents of gun violence but also report to crime scenes and deadly accidents when the victims are 18 and younger. "Sometimes people just need you to be there," explains CHRC Director Donald Osgood. "This work for me is very important." "Psychological first aid" Osgood grew up in Boston. A father and grandfather, his first "psychological first aid" training came when he decided to volunteer. He mentions, good-naturedly, "I was a knucklehead when I was a young fellow." Osgood knows how it feels to survive violent crime. He was stabbed twice in the late 1980's (in one attack, he was stabbed multiple times) and was shot in 1990. Eventually, he transformed his life into one of advocacy and purpose. "I wanted to give back," he explains. He has been working in violence prevention in Boston for the past 20 years. "My God-given gift is to be present for people during these times," he says when asked about his work at CHRC. "It's rewarding and sad at the same time because we're meeting people when something crazy has taken place in their lives." Osgood says that he leans on his faith and his therapist. He is glad that the stigma around mental health is changing. "None of the things I do were around when I was young... Back then there was no thought to it. We didn't talk about trauma." He and the team of responders offer what wasn't available when he was a young man. "There was nothing in place, so I went through all those different emotions myself," he explained. Building relationships in the neighborhoods Osgood says that because responders live in the neighborhoods they serve, people are often more willing to trust them and open up. Relationships matter. It's not unusual for him--or another network responder--to receive a call from a community member about an incident even before Boston Police reach out to the network. When responders arrive, they make themselves available to people who may need basic items like water or tissues. They watch and listen. They help people in heightened states of anxiety begin to calm down. They offer support at the scene and, sometimes, weeks or months after the incident. Osgood says it is not unusual for a family member to brush off help in the hours immediately after a traumatic event, only to decide it's necessary later. Days, weeks, or even months later, he says, the network responders are there to help. The goal, whenever someone calls, is to connect them with resources that foster healing. Marilyn Forman, a leader in two community associations who also serves as the Director of Community Organizing and Resident Engagement at Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation partners with CHRC. She says it is a critical, much-appreciated resource when people are hurting. "They're compassionate because they're from the neighborhood," Forman said. "They understand the grief and what you're going through. And part of your healing is about connecting and talking." "They never leave you" When an entire neighborhood is processing the same grief, talking with someone who is trained to assist can be especially valuable. "You have your family. You have your friends. But they're going through it too. So when the response team shows up, they're trained to be that ear and to listen to how people are offer the different supports and resources to help people. And they never leave you. That's what makes the biggest difference." Osgood says, in Hyde Park, CHRC will work with the neighborhood association when the time is right to put together "healing circles" for the community. Asked what feels most gratifying in his work, he looks out at families playing in the South End's Titus Sparrow Park. "Seeing kids smile. Seeing a mom who may have gone through something heavy walk away--at least with a smile on her face knowing that it doesn't feel good today, but we're going to get through it," Osgood said. "And we have people working with us to help us get through it." Support is available to ALL residents who feel affected by community violence. You can access services by calling the support line at 617-431-0125. You can also reach out to the Community Healing and Response Network neighborhood teams directly. All services are free and confidential.
USA Today
25-04-2025
- USA Today
James Osgood executed in Alabama for murder 'inspired by a Hollywood torture scene'
James Osgood executed in Alabama for murder 'inspired by a Hollywood torture scene' Osgood was convicted of raping and killing Tracy Lynn Wilemon, a 44-year-old mother who was starting fresh following a divorce. Wilemon's family say she was taken far too soon and has missed too much. Show Caption Hide Caption Alabama man facing execution for 'twisted fantasy' murder James Osgood, 55, and his girlfriend were found guilty of murder following the brutal attack and rape of Tracy Lynn Wilemon. unbranded - Newsworthy Alabama executed death row inmate James Osgood on Thursday for the brutal rape and murder of his girlfriend's cousin in what one prosecutor called a "twisted fantasy" carried out by the couple. Alabama executed the 55-year-old by lethal injection, making him the second inmate put to death in the state this year and the 14th in the nation. He was pronounced dead at 6:35 p.m. CT after the execution team tried five times to insert his IV, said Commissioner John Hamm of the Alabama Department of Corrections, according to the Montgomery Advertiser, part of the USA TODAY Network. In the months and years leading up to his execution, Osgood dropped all his appeals, fired his attorney and told a judge that he was ready to die for his crime: the 2010 rape and murder of Tracy Lynn Wilemon, a 44-year-old who was rebuilding her life following a divorce. "Tracy, I apologize," Osgood said just before he was executed, according to media witnesses, including the Associated Press, which reported that Osgood also was crying as he lost consciousness. Osgood's most recent attorney, Alison Mollman, said in a statement on X that those who loved Osgood "will remember him as a man who was more than his worst actions." "We will not make excuses for the harm he caused," she said. "But we will remember the good we saw in him ... We will remember that actions may be evil or bad but people are not. People are redeemable." Republican Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said in a statement that Wilemon's murder "was premeditated, gruesome and disturbing." "Both Mr. Osgood and his accomplice − who will never see the light of day − from the moment they were inspired by a Hollywood torture scene, set out to commit this heinous crime against Ms. Wilemon and are now paying the price," she said after the execution. "And let's be clear: At the end of all of this, Mr. Osgood robbed Ms. Wilemon of her life, something that can never be reversed for her or her family. I pray that her loved ones can feel some sense of closure today.' Here's what you need to know about Osgood's execution and why Wilemon's family chose to witness it. What did James Osgood do? On Oct. 13, 2010, James Osgood and his girlfriend Tonya Vandyke attacked Tracy Lynn Wilemon in her bedroom, he confessed to police. Vandyke and Wilemon were cousins who grew up together in Southern California, Wilemon's stepsister, Trisha Jackson, told USA TODAY, saying the crime shocked their entire family and caused a rift that would never be repaired. Both Osgood and Vandyke raped Wilemon and forced her to perform sex acts on them, according to Osgood's confession. Osgood slashed Wilemon's throat a number of times before stabbing her in the back. "I remember seeing the fear in her eyes and seeing her shaking," Osgood said during his confession to investigators with the Chilton County Sheriff's Department. "I know there was a lot of cutting involved but it wasn't a crime of violence. There was no anger involved. I was scared. She wasn't dying, so I kept cutting her throat and neck." During the horrific last moments of Wilemon's life, Osgood said he apologized. "I told her I was sorry," he said. "It was nothing against her. She just needed to quit fighting and go." Chief Assistant District Attorney C.J. Robinson told jurors that "a life was taken because James Osgood decided he wanted to fulfill some twisted fantasy to kill someone." "He enjoyed it," Robinson said during his closing statement, according to the Montgomery Advertiser. "The same things you heard ... that turned your stomach, turned him on." Osgood later told a judge that he deserved the death penalty. "I've always been a firm believer in an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, life for a life," Osgood said during a 2018 resentencing hearing. "If you can't do the time, don't do the crime. I screwed up. I deserve what I was given." Osgood was sentenced to death while Vandyke is serving life in federal prison. Who was Tracy Lynn Wilemon? Family members describe 44-year-old Tracy Lynn Wilemon as a spunky, hard-working mother who was thriving in Clanton, Alabama. She was going through a divorce and saving money from her job at a nursing home to visit her daughter in Lake Havasu, Arizona. "She was getting on her feet again ... She totally restructured her life, started from scratch," her stepsister, Trish Jackson, told USA TODAY. "Working at the nursing home, that's part of who she was. She cared a lot about taking care of others and helping." Jackson added: "She was thriving and happy." Jackson said that she and her stepsister were more like real sisters and spent much of their childhood growing up in the Los Angeles suburb of Riverside along with cousin Tonya Vandyke, who would later help Osgood rape and kill Wilemon (whose legal last name was Brown when she was killed but her family prefers her maiden name to be used in print). "We were very close," Jackson said, adding that the girls would do each other's hair, dress up, and go horseback-riding and roller-skating. As they became adults and mothers, the women remained close and were always going to the beach and throwing family barbecues, she said. Jackson said that Wilemon had a lot of life left to live, missed the birth of a grandson and a granddaughter, and deserved so much more than the horrific ending she got. "She was very loved," Jackson said. "She would have made an amazing grandmother." Tracy Wilemon: Alabama mom rebuilding life was killed in 'twisted fantasy' Who is James Osgood? Osgood had a childhood riddled with pain and abuse, and never knew his biological mother, who was a drug-addicted sex worker murdered when Osgood was a baby, according to court records. Osgood was malnourished as an infant, sexually abused by a man at a bar as a child, had sexual encounters with other children at the age of 9, fathered a child with a 24-year-old woman when he was 14, and was admitted to a psychiatric hospital as a teen, court records say. During that time, Osgood was passed from foster family to foster family. He attempted suicide at least once and was diagnosed with an antisocial personality disorder, records say. During his trial, his sister testified that about the neglect and abuse they both experienced as children. Osgood wiped away tears as she spoke, the only emotion Osgood showed throughout his trial, the Advertiser reported. Tracy Wilemon's witnessed execution Tracy Wilemon's stepsister and stepmother, who both attended every moment of Osgood's trial, told USA TODAY that they were traveling to Alabama from Southern California to witness the execution. Both women said they've forgiven Osgood and hoped that he had found God. But that didn't mean they disagree with his sentence. "He's deserving of this," Jackson said. "I struggled with whether I believe in the death penalty or do not but I've come to the conclusion that it's God's will. Proper due process was held and this is all God's doing." Contributing: Nick Penzenstadler, USA TODAY (This story was updated to include video.)
Toronto Sun
25-04-2025
- Toronto Sun
Alabama executes a man who said he was guilty of rape and murder and deserved to die
Published Apr 24, 2025 • 3 minute read This undated image provided by the Alabama Department of Corrections shows inmate James Osgood, who was sentenced to death for the 2010 rape and murder of Tracy Lynn Brown. (Alabama Department of Corrections via AP, File) ATMORE, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama man who dropped his appeals and said he deserved to die for the rape and murder of a woman in 2010 was put to death Thursday evening. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account James Osgood, 55, was pronounced dead at 6:35 p.m. CDT following a lethal injection at a south Alabama prison, authorities said. A jury in 2014 convicted Osgood of capital murder in the death of Tracy Lynn Brown in Chilton County. Prosecutors said Osgood cut her throat after he and his girlfriend sexually assaulted her. Osgood recently told The Associated Press that he had dropped his appeals last year, adding, 'I am guilty of murder.' In a letter to his lawyer explaining his decision to seek an execution date as soon as possible, he wrote that he was tired and no longer felt he was 'even existing.' 'I'm a firm believer in — like I said in court — an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. I took a life, so mine was forfeited. I don't believe in sitting here and wasting everybody's time and everybody's money,' Osgood told AP last week. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Brown, 44, was found dead in her home on Oct. 23, 2010, after her employer became concerned when she did not show up for work. Prosecutors said Osgood admitted to police that he and his girlfriend sexually assaulted Brown after discussing how they had shared fantasies about kidnapping and torturing someone. The pair forced their victim to perform sex acts at gunpoint. They said Osgood then killed Brown by cutting her throat. His girlfriend, who was Brown's cousin, was sentenced to life in prison. The jury found Osgood guilty after about 40 minutes of deliberation and unanimously recommended the death sentence. Osgood last week said he wanted to apologize to Brown's family but he didn't expect her relatives to forgive him. 'I regret taking her from them. I regret cutting her life short,' he said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. His initial death sentence was thrown out by an appeals court ruling that jurors were given improper instructions. At his resentencing in 2018, Osgood asked to be executed, saying he didn't want the families to endure another hearing. In handing down the death penalty at resentencing, the judge noted Osgood had a difficult childhood that included sexual abuse, abandonment and a suicide attempt. But the judge also said it was Osgood who cut Brown's neck and stabbed her as she begged the couple not to hurt her. The Death Penalty Information Center reported last year that 165 of the 1,650 people executed since 1977 had asked to be put to death. A moratorium on the death penalty ended that year, and the center said the overwhelming majority of the execution volunteers since had histories of mental illness, substance abuse or suicidal ideation. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Alison Mollman, who represented Osgood for the last decade, said in a statement that Osgood — called 'Taz' by his friends _ was 'more than his worst actions.' 'He made mistakes, terrible ones that he regretted until his dying day, but he didn't make excuses for his actions. He was accountable and he was sincere. He loved with all sincerity, and the people closest to him felt that love each and every day,' said Mollman, interim legal director for the ACLU of Alabama. The execution was the second in Alabama this year and the 14th in the nation overall. On Feb. 6, Alabama used nitrogen gas to execute Demetrius Frazier, 52, for his conviction in the 1991 rape and killing of a 41-year-old woman. Alabama in 2024 became the first state to conduct nitrogen gas executions, putting three people to death by that method last year. It involves replacing breathable air with pure nitrogen gas through a respirator mask, causing death by lack of oxygen. For decades, lethal injection was the preferred way to execute death row prisoners in the U.S. But recent problems procuring and administering the drugs led some states to consider alternative methods. Condemned prisoners in Alabama can choose execution by injection, the electric chair or nitrogen gas. Canada Toronto & GTA Toronto & GTA Toronto Raptors World
Time of India
24-04-2025
- Time of India
Alabama to execute a man who said he's guilty of rape and murder and deserves to die
Representative Image MONTGOMERY: An Alabama man is scheduled to be executed Thursday after dropping his appeals, saying he's guilty of raping and murdering a woman in 2010 and he doesn't want to keep "wasting everybody's time" and money. James Osgood, 55, will be executed by lethal injection at 6 p.m. CDT at William Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Alabama, joining the approximately one in 10 people on death rows across America who have asked for their own executions. A jury convicted Osgood of capital murder for the killing of Tracy Lynn Brown in Chilton County. Prosecutors said Osgood cut Brown's throat after he and his girlfriend sexually assaulted her. Osgood told The Associated Press that he wants to apologize to Brown's family and that he dropped his appeals because, "I am guilty of murder." In a letter to his lawyer explaining his decision to seek an execution date, he wrote that he's tired and no longer feels like he's "even existing." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Experience three trade fairs with just one ticket Undo automatica 2025 Undo Laser World of Photonics Undo World of Quantum Undo Visit automatica: June 24-27, Munich Undo "I'm a firm believer in, like I said in court, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. I took a life so mine was forfeited. I don't believe in sitting here and wasting everybody's time and everybody's money," Osgood told the AP. Brown was found dead in her home on Oct. 23, 2010. Prosecutors said Osgood admitted to police that he and his girlfriend sexually assaulted Brown, forcing her to perform sex acts, after discussing how they had fantasies about kidnapping and torturing someone. Then he cut her throat. His girlfriend, who was Brown's cousin, was sentenced to life in prison. "I can't imagine anyone doing that to someone, even their worst enemy. I don't know what kind of mind has that kind of thinking," Jackie Wileman, Brown's stepmother, told the judge at Osgood's 2014 sentencing hearing. In handing down the death sentence, the judge noted that Osgood had a difficult childhood that included sexual abuse, abandonment and a suicide attempt. But the judge also said that it was Osgood who cut Brown's neck and stabbed her as she begged the couple not to hurt her. Osgood said last week that he regrets all the "pain and suffering" he has caused Brown's family, and his own. "I would like to say to the victim's family, I apologize," Osgood said. "I'm not going to ask their forgiveness because I know they can't give it." Only God can grant forgiveness, he said. Osgood's initial death sentence was thrown out by an appeals court ruling that jurors were given improper instructions. At his resentencing in 2018, Osgood asked to be executed, saying he didn't want the families to endure another hearing. The Death Penalty Information Center reported last year that 165 of the people executed since a moratorium on the death penalty ended in 1977 - a total that has since grown to more than 1650 people - asked to be put to death. The center also said that the overwhelming majority of these volunteers had histories of men-tal ill-ness, sub-stance abuse or suicidal ideation. Alabama governor Kay Ivey made a rare move this year to grant clemency to another death row inmate , commuting the death sentence of Robin "Rocky" Myers to life in prison. The governor said there were enough questions about his guilt that she could not move forward with his execution. It was the only time Ivey has granted clemency, and the first time any Alabama governor commuted a death sentence since 1999.
