Ronnie Oneal III, a man who went viral last week after giving a speech in court while serving as his own lawyer, has been convicted of various offenses, including two counts of murder, attempted murder, arson, and child abuse.
A jury has found Oneal guilty on two counts of first-degree murder for the March 2018 shootings of his girlfriend and their daughter, who was just nine years old at the time, according to a report from the Tampa Bay Times on Monday. He was also found guilty of attempted murder, arson, and two counts of severe child abuse after stabbing their then-8-year-old son.
Oneal allegedly shot his girlfriend, Kenyatta Barron, in the shoulder with a shotgun before running outside and into her neighbors’ yard. Prosecutors claim Oneal then assaulted her with the firearm. They claim he then returned to their home and dragged his cerebral palsy-affected daughter from her bed before beating her with a hatchet, slashing his son with a knife, and poured gasoline around their house before setting it on fire. Barron and Oneal’s daughter died due to their injuries, and their son was adopted by one of the homicide detectives working on the case.
Oneal, for one, insisted on defending himself at the trial, claiming that he shot Barron after she assaulted both of their children. He also alleged that government authorities tampered with the evidence to work against him as part of his defense.
Even though Oneal represented himself, three public defenders stood nearby and murmured counsel to him at various moments during the trial. The judge encouraged Oneal to have a professional lawyer defend him before the court adjourned for the day, but he reportedly did not decide at that time.
Prosecutors are allegedly considering seeking the death penalty for Oneal now that he has been convicted of multiple charges.
