A judge in eastern Nebraska sentenced a western Iowa couple to prison Friday for the 2005 murder of a cab driver. A Douglas County, Nebraska, judge sentenced 32-year-old Rob Osborn of Atlantic, Iowa, to a maximum of 90 years in prison in connection with the December 23, 2005 killing of 77-year-old Lee Lacy, who worked as a paid driver. Osborn’s girlfriend, 29-year-old Sabrina Standley, was sentenced to 50-years behind bars for her role in the crime.
Authorities say the couple was high on meth when they hired Lacy to drive them to a casino and back to Omaha. They hatched a plan to rob the driver and during the struggle, Osborn killed Lacy by cutting his neck with a piece of glass. Afterward, Standley bought gasoline for her boyfriend and he set the car on fire with the body still inside.
The couple fled to Houston, Texas, where they were later arrested. Under Nebraska law, the couple could have been sentenced to as little as 20 years in prison, or as much as life behind bars. Osborn plead guilty to second-degree murder and first-degree arson. He will be eligible for parole in 35 years and must be released in 45 years. Standley plead guilty to second-degree murder. In exchange for the plea, prosecutors agreed to drop a first-degree arson charge.