TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The Riverview man convicted of killing his girlfriend and their daughter learned his fate on Friday: multiple life terms in prison that will run consecutive.
Jurors found Ronnie Oneal guilty of murdering Kenyatta Barron and their daughter, and attempting to kill their son, in June.
Prosecutors had been arguing for the death penalty. The jury panel’s sentence recommendation for Oneal is life in prison.
Barron’s loved ones tell 8 On Your Side the sentence won’t change the outcome for the family.
“Whether the family know it or not I got justice. It’s true I go to her grave and I visit my two children at the grave but at the end of the day they’re resting in the bosom of God,” one family member said.
Oneal represented himself during the trial and yelled at jurors during his opening and closing statements.
He allowed defense attorneys argue on his behalf during the penalty phase. They said Oneal’s mental illness was to blame for the murders.
Prosecutors and the victims’ loved ones don’t buy the claim.
“He’s going to be so miserable behind those bar he’s going to wish he was dead,” Barron’s relative said.
Jurors spent three hours deliberating before recommending a sentence of life in prison.
A judge has the ability to alter the jury’s recommendation.
Prior to handing down a sentence, the judge heard a motion for a new trial submitted on Oneal’s behalf.
