MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The Monongalia County man found guilty of murdering Kimberly Osbourne back in 2024 will serve the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Joseph Nevera was sentenced in Monongalia County Circuit Court by Judge Cindy Scott on Monday less than six months after a jury found him guilty in of murdering Osborne, leaving her in a shallow grave and attempting to dispose of evidence of the crime. More than a dozen members of Osborne’s family, including her daughter and mother, were in attendance to offer victim impact statements during the sentencing hearing.
“It feels great to know that he won’t be able to touch anyone else and hurt anyone else,” said Madison Lowther, Osborne’s daughter.
Rose Osborne, Kimberly Osborne’s mother, took the stand first during Monday’s sentencing hearing, where she described the multiple times her daughter openly expressed fear for her life before she was murdered. This included conversations where she noted Nevera’s tendency to get violent and strangle animals while intoxicated, including the day before Osborne went missing.
“He’s where he needs to be, we got justice for Kim,” said Osborne. “She was a kind, loving, generous, giving person.”
In each of the statements read by family members, they each described Osborne as a loving and caring mother who wanted to see the best in people regardless of circumstances. Each statement brought memories of spontaneous visits, the celebration of holidays, and most importantly, a strong-willed woman who cared about her family.
“I want people to remember my mother as caring, compassionate, and just a great person overall,” said Lowther. “We used to love riding four-wheelers, and we rode them all the time, and she just loved it, and I loved it, we just loved doing it together.”
Nevera did speak during the early portion of the sentencing hearing where he announced an intention to appeal his conviction due to what he felt was inadequate counsel. With attorney Christopher Wilson next to him, he stated that his counsel did not properly challenge evidence based on the testimony of John Claburn, who was charged with separate crimes before he took the stand.
“Counsel failed to make knowledge, and challenge the state on evidence that the state’s key witness made numerous false statements prior to his arrest,” said Nevera in his statement to the court.
Judge Scott addressed Nevera after he spoke, where she noted that any appeals would not be addressed on Monday and heard at a later date. In her statement, she also noted that Claburn was convicted of the crime with sentencing taking place earlier in the summer and that any discovery would need to be given to his new counsel.
“I do want to state one thing, you put a lot of deference into John Claburn immunity, John Claburn has been prosecuted, has been found guilty, and has been sentenced,” said Scott. “My definition of immunity is somebody walks, I have personal knowledge because I was the one that accepted his plea.”