The Misery Machine - The Case of Ronnie O'Neal

Starting point is 00:00:00 Kenyatta Barron was born on November 13, 1984 in Hillsborough County, Florida, to parents Booker Ray and Carrie Barron. She remained in the Hillsborough area all throughout childhood. Kenyatta grew up in a large family with six other siblings. Everyone who knew her called her Kiki. Now, growing up, Kiki loves school. She was also very strong in her faith and carried God with her in every part of her life. In her free time, Kiki wrote poetry. and love to cook. In 2006, when she was 22 years old, Kiki began a relationship with 19-year-old Ronnie O'Neill III. Ronnie was born July 27, 1988. During his childhood, he did not have a relationship with his biological father who reportedly suffered from bipolar disorder and

Starting point is 00:00:52 schizophrenia. But Ronnie did have a loving stepfather in his life named Billy Smith. Throughout his years, Ronnie was active in many extracurricular activities, including football, and singing in his church choir. While in school, Ronnie was also part of the ROTC program and had hoped to join the Marines after graduation. Although the academic part of school was a challenge, he successfully graduated from East Bay High School. After graduation, Ronnie took the entrance exam for the Marines, but he was unable to pass. With his future plans dashed, he ended up working. in casinos and driving trucks. He also wrote hip-hop and rap music.

Starting point is 00:01:33 In 2008, Ronnie and Kiki welcomed their first child into the world, Renivia O'Neill. Renovia was born premature at just two pounds, two ounces, and spent the first part of her life in the NICU on life support. Ronnie later said that he was the person who fought to keep her alive when people around him weren't sure if she should stay on life support or not. Renovia was later diagnosed with cerebral palsy and later rely on a wheelchair to get around. One year after Renovia was born, a couple welcomed their second child who they named Ronnie O'Neill IV. We'll refer to their son as little Ronnie throughout this episode, as that is how

Starting point is 00:02:07 the family distinguished father and son. Its time went on, it was clear that Renivia's struggles did not stop its cerebral palsy. She was later diagnosed with autism and was unable to speak for her entire life. She did communicate using some sign language, which little Ronnie learned so he could communicate with his sister. In addition, family members also remember that Renivia and her little brother seemed to have a very special bond in their own way to communicate with each other. Kiki loved her children fiercely, and everyone considered her to be an amazing mother. She worked hard to make Renivia's room look like a home fit for a princess. Kiki often played football with her son and read stories to her daughter as she munched on Oreos and grapes. Renivia started school at

Starting point is 00:02:52 Foster Elementary and later attended Korr Elementary. School. She loved wearing pretty clothes and earrings. She also loved her bus driver Terry Wallace, as well as her teachers at Core Elementary. She was recognized on a few occasions for her very positive attitude. It's unclear when exactly the relationship fell apart, but by 2012, Kiki and Ronnie were separated. That same year, paternity tests were ordered by the court to prove that Ronnie was the father of both children, and he was subsequently ordered to pay child support. In October of 2017, he was found to be delinquent and was ordered to pay Kiki $1,735 and 32 cents in back support. At this point, Ronnie was the father of a third child who had been born in 2016 to another woman.

Starting point is 00:03:40 At the time of our story in 2018, Kiki, Ronivia, and Little Ronnie were living at 13428 Pike Lane Drive in Riverview, Florida, and a three-bedroom rental home owned by Vettus Investment Properties. Kiki was 33 years old and was taking classes at Hillsborough Community College, working hard to build a bright future for her children. However, things were not looking as promising for Ronnie. At this point in our story, he had earned himself a bit of a criminal record. He was convicted of driving without a license, possession, as well as obtaining food or lodging with the intent to defraud.

Starting point is 00:04:17 In addition to that, the police have been called many times by Kiki due to Ronnie abusing her. They fought about money and about Ronnie being present at her home when she did not want him there. They also had regular disputes about him using her car without permission. When she finally called the police regarding this matter, Ronnie retaliated by breaking the front windshield and saying, If I can't use the car, no one can. The deputy categorized this incident as misdemeanor criminal mischief. He accepted the request for prosecution form from police but never ended up submitting it.

Starting point is 00:04:52 As we often see in cases such as these, if the victim refuses or is unable to follow up on an incident, the abuser is not charged nor prosecuted. Over the years, Ronnie left the Christian faith and became a Muslim and began publicly identifying as a member of the nation of Islam. In 2017, Ronnie was the victim of a random drive-by shooting and was severely injured. His injuries were so severe that after being rushed to the hospital, his heart stopped several times during surgery. When it was time to be discharged from the hospital, Ronnie was still in pretty rough shape and needed to be living with someone who could assist him while he was healing. It appears that he was still in a romantic relationship with the mother of his other child at this time, but she refused to let him stay with her. Ronnie's family also refused. With nowhere else to go, he turned to Kiki. for help. Despite her mother being adamant that she should stay away from Ronnie, Kiki agreed to let

Starting point is 00:05:52 him stay in her home while he recovered. Ronnie was in her home for about four months when things escalated into a nightmare. On March 18, 2018, Ronnie spent the day at his mother's house changing the brakes on her car. He had little Ronnie with him for the day as well. We can only speculate about what led to such a huge fight between Kiki and Ronnie later that night. Some sources say that the fight was about Ronnie wanting Kiki and their children to convert to Islam and Kiki's standing strong in her Christian faith. Ronnie would later say that Kiki had been fighting with the mother of Ronnie's other child leading up to this incident, though. It's unclear how that is relevant to what happened next.

Starting point is 00:06:34 What we know is that Ronnie and Kiki's neighbors called 911. 911. What is your emergency? Yes, my neighbor is being a picture of her next door. What's going on there? I don't know. I heard the neighbors. Help me. Help me, help me, help me.

Starting point is 00:06:47 What's going on? I jumped up. I don't know. I think he was feeding her next door. We just heard some noise. Next, Kiki made a 911 call at 1143 p.m. saying that she had been shot. Now, the sequence of events for this incident are a bit jumbled.

Starting point is 00:07:03 When we compare the 911 call, witness testimonies, and the order that others have listed the events, we're not 100% sure what order they happened in. What we know is that Kiki sensed that Ronnie was going to get violent and went to hide in a closet. Some sources say it was the closet in little Ronnie's bedroom, and others say it was Renivia's room. Ronnie discovered where she was and shot through the door, hitting Kiki in her arm. He then ran from the room before Ronnie could shoot again. That is when Kiki called 911.

Starting point is 00:07:34 The background of the 911 call, a few things can be heard. First we hear Kiki telling first responders that she's been shot, but she's trying to. trying to be quiet, so we suspect she was hiding again. First responders try to get her to say her address, but she is unable to, whether that was out of fear or she wasn't fully aware due to her injuries. You can hear the moment that Ronnie finds her, and she starts screaming, I'm sorry, Ronnie, over, over. In the background, we can hear Ronnie saying two things. The first is a repeated chant of Allahou Akbar, which is a Muslim saying meaning God is most great. We also heard him tell little Ronnie to repeat him and then a child's voice can be heard in the background. And Ronnie

Starting point is 00:08:15 Sr. tells little Ronnie to, I quote, now get in here and kill this bitch right now. I want to warn you before we play the recording, the screaming from Kiki that follows the statement is very, very hard to listen to. What's the address of the emergency, ma'am? What's the address of your emergency? Help me, please. What's your address? What's your address? What's your address? Stop me. Help me please.

Starting point is 00:08:40 Where? Oh, no. Ma'am, hello, ma'am. All right. Ma'am, hello. Hello. After the 911 call cut, Tzu,000, 50s,000-50s, and not. After the 911 call cuts out, it appears that Kiki ran from

Starting point is 00:09:31 the house. Ronnie chased her and neighbors' witness Kiki in the yard of the house next door. She was laying on the ground when he shot her again. Then Ronnie held her arm in the air and repealie beat her over the head with his shotgun. Now in some accounts, little Ronnie remembered being forced to hold the shotgun that was pointed at his mother. In others, it seems that his father was asking him to stab his mother. Those details are still unclear. When one neighbor looked out his front door and saw Kiki being attacked in his yard. He opened the door to intervene.

Starting point is 00:10:06 When he did, Ronnie started yelling at him, You don't understand, and then drop Kiki's arm and the remains of the shattered shotgun and ran back into his house. Yes, he beat her so badly, he broke the gun. The neighbor went into his yard and stayed with Kiki until paramedics arrived. These attacks were also witnessed

Starting point is 00:10:26 by a 14-year-old neighbor across the street. While Ronnie Sr. had been out of the house beating Kiki with a shotgun. Little Ronnie had attempted to hide. Fortunately, Renivia, though likely aware of the horror and chaos in their house, was unable to hide or plead for her life. So when her father grabbed a hatchet from the garage on his way back in and stormed into her room, there was nothing that she could do.

Starting point is 00:10:51 Little Ronnie hiding in the kitchen could see into his sister's room. His father started to hack away at the helpless nine-year-old. in the head with a hatchet. The last time little Ronnie saw his sister alive, she had tears streaming down her face, she was being attacked by her father. After Ronnie murdered his disabled daughter, he left her body on the floor,

Starting point is 00:11:17 goused her in gasoline, and lit her on fire. He also dumped gasoline in the closet where he had shot Kiki and lit that on fire as well. After his attempts to cover up his deeds, he then turned and went to find his son. He found Little Ronnie hiding in the kitchen and wrenched open a kitchen drawer to grab a knife, spilling knives all over the floor. He then stabbed his son repeatedly in his torso and his neck.

Starting point is 00:11:42 He held Little Ronnie down with his foot as he dumped gasoline on his body, then lit a tissue on fire and ignited the gasoline. At some point during this horrific rampage, Ronnie also called 911. In his phone call, he can be heard screaming about demons inside of Kiki and how she had tried to kill him. Is your emergency? Hey, I just been attacked by some white demons. And she tried to kill me. What's the address?

Starting point is 00:12:16 Huh? What's the address of the emergency? Try to attack you? Yes. Yes. Yes. She did. She tried to kill me.

Starting point is 00:12:26 What he didn't know was that the police and paramedics were already en route. In fact, they arrived outside to find Kiki while Ronnie Sr. was stabbing his son in the kitchen. Initially, the first responders were only looking for one victim and they found her on the neighbor's lawn. She was already dead by the time they arrived, laying in the grass with the remnants of the shotgun around her body. It wasn't until neighbors told them that there were two children in the house that the police and paramedics realized they had a bigger situation on their hands. As they were made aware of this fact, they also looked up at the house and saw the orange glow that indicated a fire in the building. Now, heard the training of the police and paramedics, they needed to wait for the fire department to arrive before they could enter the residence to search for the children. However, as they waited, something happened that they didn't expect.

Starting point is 00:13:19 First, Ronnie Sr. came out of the garage. He was covered in blood, but the only injury he sustained was a burn on his arm. Police attempted to arrest him peacefully, but Ronnie was ranting and refusing to get on the ground, so he was tased, cuffed, and put in the back of a cruiser. He sat in the cruiser repeating, Allahu Akbar, as first responders continued to try to secure the scene. At one point, he also said, Kiki is the devil, and those are the devil's kids. Firefighters finally arrived and prepared to enter the home, but before they could, little Ronnie came walking out. His clothes were smoking, and he was cut so severely that his intestines were visible.

Starting point is 00:14:04 The only words he said before he lost consciousness were, My father shot my mother. Little Ronnie was immediately intubated and rushed to Tampa General Hospital. Upon arrival, he was found to have a collapsed lung, exposed intestines, multiple stab wounds, and burns over 25% of his body. Paramedics noted it looked like he had been disemboweled. He also had froth coming from his mouth, which is a sign of smoke inhalation. Back at the 1348 Pike Lane Drive address, the firefighters were entering the home.

Starting point is 00:14:38 First person to enter the home was Donald Foster. Full gear, he dragged the water hose through the door on his hands and knees due to the amount of smoke in the home. As he crawled, he had to feel his way along the walls. Short distance into the home, he saw an orange glow ahead, so used the hose to spray it quickly. Then noticed that his hands and knees were slid. slipping on the floor. When he looked down, he realized he was slipping in puddles of blood. He noted that the kitchen floor was littered in knives as though someone had dumped a whole kitchen drawer full of them. He continued further into the house sensing another fire and searching

Starting point is 00:15:13 for the other child. He noticed lawn equipment inside the house like a gas can. I'm seeing photos also show a push lawnmower inside of the house. Donald kept going until he came to a wall that was warm to the touch, indicating there was a fire behind it. He opened the door to find a room completely engulfed in flames. Another firefighter took the water hose and began spraying the fire as Donald began feeling his way around the room. He finally found Renivia buried beneath a pile of debris. He was unable to see her, but he pulled her from the debris. He quickly carried her out to the yard and laid her on the ground. It was not until he was clear of the smoke that he realized she was already dead, burned beyond recognition. Later, when asked what he did next, he said

Starting point is 00:15:56 he just hugged another firefighter and cried. Ronnie was taken to the police station to be questioned. However, he lawyered up pretty quickly, so police weren't able to get much of anything from him at first. In the meantime, his son and namesake was fighting for his life. Miraculously, after a few days in some extensive surgery, little Ronnie woke up. He was able to begin telling the police things he remembered from that night. We would like to remind you that he was.

Starting point is 00:16:26 he was still gravely injured and probably on some pretty serious painkillers. As more information came out over the following months, not every detail of Little Ronnie's accounts matched. However, it would be understandable that this eight-year-old boy who had just witnessed the brutal murder of his mother and sister and narrowly survived himself might have mixed up some of the details while he was still near death. Little Ronnie ended up being in the hospital for over two months. During that time, there was one particular officer, Deputy Blair, who would stop by to visit Little Ronnie. When he heard that he was a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan, Deputy Blair felt compelled to use a connection he had to the team to help cheer up the boy.

Starting point is 00:17:10 He began bringing him Buccaneers merch, and the two struck up a relationship. Deputy Blair had a wife in five older children. As a father, it must have been absolutely brutal to see this little boy fighting for his life after watching his entire family be annihilated. One particular night after visiting Little Ronnie, Deputy Blair prepared to head out for the evening where he had planned a dinner date with his wife. As he made to leave, Little Ronnie held onto his hand and asked him to stay and watch a movie. Deputy Blair knew immediately that he needed to stay, called his wife and turned their couple's date into a movie night with this amazing little boy. During the time that Deputy Blair spent with Little Ronnie throughout his recovery,

Starting point is 00:17:51 he crossed paths with his guardian ad litem. During one such meeting, Deputy Blair gave the cursory polite response that many people give, something in the ballpark of, if there's ever any way I can help, let me know. Eventually, Little Ronnie was released from the hospital, and the state attempted a few fictive care placements with family members.

Starting point is 00:18:10 However, for reasons that are unclear, those placements did not work out. One day, Deputy Blair got a call from the guardian ad litem. Desperate, he asked the deputy if he had any, leads on a placement for little Ronnie. Luckily, Deputy Blair already had discussed this possibility with his wife. They were already preparing to welcome Ronnie into their home. Ronnie went to stay with Deputy Blair and his family who instantly welcomed Ronnie and made him a part of their family. It wasn't long before he was formally adopted by the kind-hearted deputy.

Starting point is 00:18:42 After Ronnie Sr.'s arrest, he was immediately charged with two counts of first-degree homicide, arson, resisting arrest, and one count of attempted homicide. He was held without bail. He made his first court appearance with his armed wrapped in bandages covering the burns he sustained while lighting his children on fire. In October of 2018, Ronnie was found to be unfit to stand trial. He spent six months in a psychiatric facility and was released back into the criminal justice system, seemingly stable and unmedicated. He was then re-evaluated and determined. He was then re-evaluated and determined fit to stand trial. He made several requests from prison. The first was that his son, little Ronnie, not be repeatedly interrogated about the case. He claimed to be trying to protect him

Starting point is 00:19:30 from the psychological damage of repeated interrogations. Let's just pause for a second and let that piece sink in. He was trying to protect his son from the psychological harm after he tried to force his son to kill his own mother, then hacked apart his sister with a hatchet right in front of him, then disemboweled him and lit him on fire. I mean, sure, Ronnie, you're right. It's probably very traumatizing for your son to have to retell the horrific crimes he watched you commit. Keep in mind, if Ronnie Sr. would have admitted to his crimes and entered a guilty plea, there would be no need to further question his son. His next request was for a change of venue. He said his rights had been violated by the media coverage, making him out to be guilty before he had a fair trial.

Starting point is 00:20:22 He claimed he was being portrayed as a menace to society and that they were attacking his, as he put it, good name and known character. These delays, as well as the pandemic, resulted in the start date of his trial being pushed into June of 2021. December of 2020, he had officially pled innocent to all of the charges claiming that he was acting in self-defect. After three years in custody, having prepared for this trial with his public defenders, he decided at the very last minute to represent himself. The judge tried very hard to emphasize that this was not a smart choice for someone facing the death penalty. He had been determined fit to stand trial at this point, but his behavior was still bizarre at his pretrial hearing in May of 2021. The judge conducted the Ferretta inquiry, a series of questions to gauge if a defendant is able to represent himself. Ronnie's answers were all a little off-kilter, to put it lightly.

Starting point is 00:21:18 When asked what his name was, he responded with, It was Ronnie O'Neill III, but I have a new name only that I know. And when asked his age, he said, hmm, that's a good question. I'm 32 in this world. He also claimed that Allah had told him not to use a lawyer. Somehow his request to represent himself was approved in the state of Florida. However, the judge ordered that his three-pots.

Starting point is 00:21:42 public defenders would remain with him to help coach him and as a backup if Ronnie changed his mind at any point in the trial. Ronnie's defense hinged on a few main points. He claimed that Kiki was actually the one who attacked the children and lit the fires. They also intended to prove that the government had tampered with the 911 recordings and the video footage taken by a neighbor. At one point he told the jury, I guarantee you, I wouldn't waste your time. I would have already taken a plea deal of some kind if I knew I did something like this. And Ronnie's opening statements, we immediately questioned whether he was truly fit to stand trial. Ronnie screamed at the jury and courtroom about the way that the government and police tampered with evidence in this case.

Starting point is 00:22:27 The evidence is going to show that we are under some of the most seen. By time it's all said and done, you will see who is the mass. murderers in Tampa Bay, the state of Florida. You will know why what occurred on March 18, 2018 occurred. And the evidence is going to show that law enforcement with evidence to meet there's such high burden of proof. Because originally, it wasn't enough. So we had to tamper with evidence. since it was such evidence already, but we still had the temple with evidence. The evidence is going to show.

Starting point is 00:24:17 My son did not see me murder his mom. The evidence is going to show it. He did not see me shoot his mom. The evidence is going to show. My son said many things that are not true. The evidence is going to show that I called 911 during Kenyatta Barron's 911 call. But all of a sudden it ends up after I called Kenyatta Barron's call was made. Now I'm calling 911.

Starting point is 00:25:04 But originally I called 911 without even knowing she called 911. during her call. But the evidence is going to show that your representatives and law enforcement, local law enforcement, wanted to make it seem like I'm some kind of minutes to society and I ran after killing Keiola Baran knowing that authority was on the way to kill my own for no reason.

Starting point is 00:25:52 And I'm standing here competent as can be representing myself today. The evidence is going to show my son did not witness me viciously beat his mom to death. The evidence is going to show my neighbor, Khalil Brown, they are trying to keep out of this trial, witness me take three strikes. The evidence is going to show that law enforcement and this administration wanted to make me look like a minister to society. So they added several mini-scrites on that video and audio that you just heard. And they added several statements that I did not say. anything that I may have said,

Starting point is 00:27:14 they exasperated it and made me say it consecutively over and over like Allah who act by which I may have said once or twice but they wanted to make me seem like a terrorist and so you hear it

Starting point is 00:27:42 eight or nine times and you hear me calling Ken y'all have been a bitch and a hoarse. The evidence is going to show that I called my dad after calling 911, missing from the T-O-W records that we have acquired from T-Mobile. The 911 call that I made to 911 and the 911 call that you just heard

Starting point is 00:28:34 cannot be proven that it was made because after I called for an investigation of those 911 calls, all of a sudden, they become missing from all evidence. The evidence is going to show Keiall-A-Baron supposedly made a 911 call, but you cannot find that on her call law,

Starting point is 00:29:03 which we pulled from her actual phone. They say she made a call at 1143. There's no 911 call at 1143 on her call law. All of a sudden, after I called for an investigation of the original calls, that's what the evidence is going to show. The evidence is going to show, I look alone, but I am back by a mighty God. This is going to show I love my children. And evidence is going to prove to you that this whole entire case has been tampered with and fabricated.

Starting point is 00:30:16 Before it's all said it done, I can guarantee you that mark my words. This is going to show that they say, I said, come out here, son, and help me kill this. Mona Lisa Brunner's great of my children, Mia Thompson or Gracie Diggs. Mr. Gray heard me say any of those things. In fact, the evidence is going to show that Khalil Brown heard me say, she killed me twice and then nothing else.

Starting point is 00:31:29 The CRA is going to show But some of you who don't know what that is, that's the criminal report affidavit. That the law enforcement lead detective Thomas Dirks is the author of. This will show that in that CRA, I told the neighbor don't come outside. Call 911 now. But you don't hear that on this audio for some reason. But you hear all these other things that I did not say. That same CRA will have the statements of Khalil Brown

Starting point is 00:32:28 saying that he saw me take three strikes with that shotgun and nothing else. This is going to show that Mr. Harmon here says that that big chunk missing out of home arm was a bird shot. It was not a bird shot. And whatever kind of shot it was, if it was a slug shot or a bird shot, where's the missing pieces of her arm? The evidence is going to show you will not see any missing pieces of her arm in that closet where she was shot. There were several shots added to the wall to make it look like I'd aimed at her head. Remember I told you the evidence will not show you that my son witnessed me beat his mom in death.

Starting point is 00:33:45 Nor did he witness me shoot his mom. In fact, he didn't witness much at all. And the evidence will show that my son said my dad shot. My mom is the correct statement if you want to cite statements, if he even said it. Because I guarantee you the evidence is going to show you. We are under the most corrupt administration you've ever seen in your life. I guarantee you I wouldn't waste your time. I would have already took up some kind if I knew I did something like this.

Starting point is 00:35:00 People don't even go to trial when they know they kill somebody unjustly. The evidence is going to show you who the killers are. I'm pleading not guilty to the charges of premeditated murder, attempted murder, aggravated child abuse or battery, arson, resists, arrest without violence. And while I'm at that, the evidence is going to show that they tased me for no reason.

Starting point is 00:35:49 But they tempered with that video because they didn't want you to know the truth. And it might sound far better. But I guarantee you we're going to see who the liars are before it's all said and done. Mark my words.

Starting point is 00:36:14 Because my family lives were taken. When my daughter was done, this is what the evidence was shown. When my daughter was born, it was me who gave the command to find the final command to keep her alive when she was on life support. When she was born two pounds, two ounces, and couldn't breathe on her own, it was me who fought to keep her alive. but all of a sudden I just want to take my life. I'm a certain to justify by homicide because I acted in self-defense

Starting point is 00:37:10 and moved to protect myself and my children from Kenyatta Barrens. I'm going to be shorned with evidence several reasonable reasons to doubt the state's allegations against me. The evidence will show that the state cannot prove that I've premeditatedly killed anyone because I didn't have any time to reflect or plot and play as it of everything

Starting point is 00:37:54 happened suddenly and spontaneous. I responded out of pure instinct and heat of patch, premeditated design. And let me just say the evidence will show that since the state plans to kill me if they can say that I killed my family unjustly. They plan to premeditatedly kill me. So they cannot say or deny me the right to premeditatedly kill King Alderman if she killed my children. The evidence will show that Keni Autobarine has to be. several medications and drugs such as morphine in her system. The evidence was

Starting point is 00:39:09 showed she had a domestic history and was arrested for domestic violence that same year. Also was born premature just like Trinibetia. I'm going to sustain the objection as to that particular argument regarding Ms. Barron being born prematurely. All right you may continue on Mr. O'Neill. The evidence will show that she threatened to kill me with a knife just a few weeks, just a few weeks before the incident, and she was angry about her relationship with my other child's mom

Starting point is 00:40:05 and about the fact that we had to be cordial for our newborn son. And the evidence will show that they have been born back and forth and arguing on Facebook and by telephone that whole afternoon before the end up before the incident. The evidence will show that me and my son was at my mom's house while I was putting brakes

Starting point is 00:40:29 on my aunt's car. Me and my son spent the whole day at my mom and dad's house working on the car. When we came back home, I never knew she was arguing with my child's mom, my other child's mom, the whole day. Evidence will show that my daughter was prematurely born. She was autistic.

Starting point is 00:40:56 My son Ronnie was diagnosed at the age of three with developmental delay and had the history of SLD. The evidence will also show that he was present but does not remember accurately or consistently what happened for many reasons, making him unreliable when it comes through the actual fact. He also has been diagnosed with PTSD as he should be because this is a very traumatic thing that he went through.

Starting point is 00:41:42 He also was diagnosed with major depression disorder, intermittent confusion, and delirium. The evidence is going to show the evidence and testimony will show that Ronnie Player formerly known as Ronnie O'Neill IV or may have been coached on what to say by family members. Objection to argue. And or long-hold. Wait, hold on.

Starting point is 00:42:08 I will over the objection. Thank you, Your Honor. Mr. O'Neill, again, jury, this is what both sides believe the evidence is going to show, all right? And again, you will be the ultimate determiner of what the facts are. You may proceed, Mr. O'Neill.

Starting point is 00:42:24 Thank you, Your Honor. And these are also actual facts. that Mr. Harmon left out when he told you about the report of his former psychologist. When he told you that he was adopted by his family members, which didn't work out as well, and he had to be placed with another family, which is now the Blair family. In that same report, it talked about how he may have been coached by family members. The evidence is going to show that my son was adopted by detective who formerly worked in this case,

Starting point is 00:43:07 whom he now lives with. And I don't have a problem with that because he needs care. But I do have a problem with Mr. Blair being involved in this case, being called as a witness, being the new father of my son and now he's being called as a witness when he could possibly have been coached by his new father who is

Starting point is 00:43:43 all for the argument all right and again Mr. O'Neill I'll rule the objection again this is what Mr. O'Neill is asserting the facts will be you may proceed thank you y'all The evidence will show and prove that very vital evidence was definitely tampered with,

Starting point is 00:44:09 which was a strategic omission to cover up the facts of this case, making much more of the evidence unreliable, as I know for a fact, it was altered as well. The evidence is going to show that the 911 call of Kenyatta Barron is not compatible with what Khalil Brown saw and heard outside of my home. This is going to show when it's all said and done, put those excessive lacerations on Kenyatta Barron's face. I can guarantee you that in this trial of the next one. I can guarantee you that because like I said I look alone

Starting point is 00:45:25 but I'm back by mighty God! And ultimately it will show that none of the Saints witnesses can draw any conclusion especially because they didn't see

Starting point is 00:45:41 anything that refused my self-defense claim and fear. And nor can the state do so beyond the very reasonable doubts that will be revealed. The very reasonable, reasonable doubt that will be revealed by me. We don't typically spend a great deal of time talking about the trial.

Starting point is 00:46:14 But in this case, with the murderer representing himself, there are some unique things that come up. Before we get into those details, let's talk about what was found during the audience. autopsies of Kiki and Renovia and the evidence found at the scene. The autopsy revealed that Kiki's arm was broken in two places. She had two gunshot wounds, one to her right back shoulder and another more severe gunshot wound to her elbow. The wounds to her head were extensive. She had over 15 separate lacerations, multiple abrasions and contusions primarily to the left side of her head. She also had six or seven fractures to the head, including a broken jaw and multiple broken facial bones and severe fractures to the base of her skull. She also had six or seven

Starting point is 00:47:04 fractures to her head, including a broken jaw and multiple broken facial bones and several fractures to the base of her skull. Several of her teeth had been knocked out. Her cause of death was determined to be blunt forced trauma to the head. Renivia's autopsy also determined that she died from homicidal violence. She had penetrating chalk wounds to her head from the hatchet. She had profound trauma to her neck and multiple knife wounds, including one to the sole of her foot, as though she was curling away or trying to escape as she was attacked. She had broken bones and a severed spinal cord.

Starting point is 00:47:44 Her body was also burnt beyond recognition. In addition to the autopsy reports, the forensic investigators gathered a plethora of evidence from the crime scene. There were holes in the closet doors consistent with shotgun projectiles. Inside the closet, they found Kiki's blood, as well as waddings, pellets, and three spent casings, live rounds, and a shotgun slug in the closet wall with the scrap of red fabric. Investigators also found a knife with Kiki's blood on it in the garage. They also recovered a knife and a hatchet with Renivia's blood on it. One thing that we found fascinating was that a big chunk of his defense was that the evidence

Starting point is 00:48:26 the state was using against him was exaggerated. For example, the prosecution asserted that based on her injuries, Kiki must have been a hit in the head with a shotgun 15 times. Ronnie's response to that was he did not hit her 15 times. I did not hit her. It's not true. It was bullshit. I did not hit her. I did not. It was only three times. When the 911 recording showed that he was repeatedly chanting

Starting point is 00:48:54 Allahou Akbar, he claimed that the recording had been altered. He had actually said it only twice, not eight or nine times. We're not quite sure why he brings up calling Kiki all of those foul names, but he doesn't end up denying or claiming it was false. During Ronnie's trial, the testimonies of the witnesses called by the prosecutor, were particularly emotional. The biggest concern that many had about Ronnie representing himself was that he would then be the one cross-examining the prosecution's witnesses. Their primary witness was Little Ronnie, who narrowly survived his father's attack.

Starting point is 00:49:32 The choice was made to have Little Ronnie join the court through a closed video circuit that he was not in the same room as his biological father. The thing we found most interesting about the testimony from Little Ronnie was the very different demeanor of both little Ronnie and his father compared to other times during court. When little Ronnie was being examined by the prosecution, he spoke with confidence in long detailed sentences. His father began to cross-examine him. All of his sentences became short and clipped. He often seemed confused by his questions. It's unclear if that is due to Ronnie Senior's poor phrasing of questions or Little Ronnie's mental state while being questioned by the man who

Starting point is 00:50:12 nearly murdered him. Ronnie Sr. also had a very different demeanor compared to his opening and later closing arguments. Instead of yelling as he often did in the courtroom, he questioned Little Ronnie in a much quieter and gentler tone. Even his body posture was less confrontational. In his cross-examination, Ronnie Sr. focused on trying to discredit statements that Little Ronnie had made. He primarily asked him if he remembered various statements made either when he was in the hospital or during some forensic interviews. Little Ronnie sat with his therapy dog and admitted several times that he did not remember making those statements. It was cross-examined for 40 minutes in this manner, often saying that he did not remember making certain statements.

Starting point is 00:50:55 Ronnie Sr. took this to mean that the state had tampered with the interviews. However, that's not what we think. It's important to remember that at the time of the attack, Little Ronnie was only eight years old. He was also nearly killed. He witnessed some of the most horrific things a child could ever see. He was also initially interviewed just days after the attack while we assume he was still heavily medicated. It's hard to say if those accounts would be more or less accurate than accounts given later. You imagine that Little Ronnie was likely struggling to keep every detail of an extremely horrifying and chaotic night straight.

Starting point is 00:51:29 For example, he testified that he remembered his father forcing him to hold the gun and aim it at his mother. But he doesn't remember if the gun went off or not. One would think that would be vivid in your memory. However, we suspect that Little Ronnie's brain is desperately trying to save him from remembering something so utterly horrific. Another witness that the jury, media, and courtroom were anxious about was the examination of Deputy Blair, the man who adopted Little Ronnie. After Deputy Blair was examined by the prosecution, it was Ronnie's turn to cross-examine. Everyone in the courtroom held their breath while Ronnie stood and shuffled through papers, appearing to be looking for the questions he wanted to ask.

Starting point is 00:52:11 After a minute, he said, thank you, from the bottom of my heart to the top of my head, thank you for what you've done. No further questions, Your Honor. We'd also like to quickly address a statement made by Ronnie O'Neill during one of his courtroom tirades. At one point, Ronnie screamed that the evidence would show that Kiki had been previously arrested for DV and that she had drugs in her system when she died. Now, we made a note to investigate this further. It's always important to fully investigate any claims of abuse.

Starting point is 00:52:45 In particular, male victims tend to be dismissed or arrested themselves when they report DV. However, other than that one statement, we were unable to find a single other reference referring to those two facts. If Kiki was using drugs, we would have expected to see that in her autopsy report, but it wasn't there. At the conclusion of his trial, Ronnie Sr's closing arguments were just about as unhinged as his opening statements. Mr. O'Neill, you need to speak audibly so that the jury can hear what you're saying. He showed you a fraudulent recorder where they allege that I beat Kenyatta Barron to death. He talked about Mr. Khalil Brown, my neighbor, who stayed across the president. the street. But if Mr. Khalil Brown was a help to them proving me guilty beyond

Starting point is 00:54:23 reasonable doubt, they would have called Mr. Khalil Brown. But I called Mr. Khalil Brown to be a witness for me. And I didn't ask him to lie about one thing that he saw that night. I asked him to tell the jury exactly what he saw. that night. And you have to ask yourself why that is. Because he's playing a fraudulent damn recording of me beating Keniard Barron 15 damn times when that did not happen. And like I told you earlier, you will know the truth whether in this trial or the next one. Better believe it is if you think I'm here to put around with you all got. All right, Mr. O'Neill, please stop using swearing language. It's not appropriate in a closing argument.

Starting point is 00:55:37 He played a recording that was spared up that people can understand what the call was saying. An objection to the defendant asking me questions, Your Honor. I'm going to sustain the... I'm talking to people. Mr. O'Neill, listen, please just keep in mind. This is not personal towards the prosecutors. Please keep your comments directed towards the evidence and the law. Thank you.

Starting point is 00:56:15 I know for a fact, can y'all bearing recording from her phone did not record calls sped up like that. I'm going to object now. He's talking about facts, not in evidence of what he knows. Again, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, as you were instructed, the closing arguments are just that. They're not the evidence or the instruction on the law. It's just what the parties believe the evidence shows or does not show. or does not show. All right, thank you. You heard, Mr. Khalil Brown,

Starting point is 00:56:59 you've been hearing me for two weeks now telling you that they committed criminal acts against me with the 911 calls and that fraudulent video that they just showed y'all. Now, I'm going to prove it to you. You heard Khalil Brown. He said that he was actually sure that I only hit Kenyallabar Three times you heard. I called him to tell you that. I ain't running from nothing.

Starting point is 00:57:43 They didn't call Khalil Brown to tell you that. I did. You have to ask yourself why that is. Because I want you to know the actual facts. I did kill Ken Yautabam. But I want you to tell it like it is if you're going to tell it. Ultimately, the jury only deliberated for three hours before finding Ronnie O'Neill guilty on all charges. They were unable to come to a unanimous decision on the death penalty, therefore Ronnie was not eligible to be put to death.

Starting point is 00:58:25 In Ronnie's sentencing hearing, Judge Michelle Sisko was emotional and close to tears at points. You not want to water down how powerful her statements were, so we will play them for you. There's a part of you that can be very charming and very likable. And with all due deference to your counsel, they're all excellent lawyers. Excellent lawyers. But I have to tell you, I think that your representation of yourself also aided and saving you from the death penalty. I really do. I really think that. Oh, please.

Starting point is 00:58:57 I could be wrong, but that's just my best guess. However... Thank you. Well, you're welcome, Mr. O'Neill. I'm just telling you the truth as I see it. However... 19 years I've been at this job. I've seen human beings killed at the hands of others in every way imaginable.

Starting point is 00:59:18 You name it, I've seen. Shooting, stabs, drownings, suffocatings, blown apart by cars in DUI manslaughter cases. Horrible things. This is the worst case I have ever seen as far as the fact. When they fire, when a person from a person from, fire department when he testified and when he said that he retrieved the body of Renovia O'Neill from the home and all he could do was soft. It took every ounce I had not to start sawed me too because there is no way any person with

Starting point is 01:00:05 any feeling could have witnessed or seen the photos of what occurred that night and not be haunted for the rest of your life. I know I will be for the rest of my life I'll be haunted by what I saw as far as the evidence and just the abject cruelty of it all the abject cruelty and I you know I I I was aware because I reviewed a lot of the discovery ahead of time as you well know did a lot of the camera inspection of a lot of documents and I was aware that there was some evidence at least that when you needed to recover from your gunshot wound that neither your parents nor your Aisha, Ms. Robinson, would let you come recover at their home.

Starting point is 01:00:52 I don't know if it's true or not. I'm just, okay, I'm not going to get into a dispute. I'm just mentioning there was some evidence referencing that in the record. And all I can think about, because I knew that this bearing was not with you romantically at the time. And I knew that she just out of the goodness of her heart let you come stay with her. And it is beyond tragic that that critical decision ended in so much horror for her and for her children. It is unspeakably cruel what happened as a result of that one decision. The way that Ms. Barron died was horrific in that 911 call, which captured truly all of the

Starting point is 01:01:43 of them. You heard, and everyone who's heard that 911 call, heard a death scream. If anybody ever wants to know what it sounds like before a human being dies, knowing that their death is imminent, that's exactly what it is. That was a deaf scream. But what happened to little Ranivia and to Little Ranivya, but I'm going to focus on Ranivia, because she was special. and you can tell Ms. Barron had done everything she could to create a beautiful home for her family. I noticed that the Renivia's bedroom before you set it on fire, you could tell she tried so hard to make her feel like a princess. Kaniata did everything she could.

Starting point is 01:02:32 And I noticed too in the kitchen on the refrigerator she put up magnets that said faith, love, family, hope. And then you know what else happened at the refrigerator during that night? It got flattered with blood all over it due to what happened. Little Ronnidia, she couldn't scream, she couldn't run away. And she witnessed what you did to her mother for shooting her mother in the arm with the gunshot. She knew. And the horror that that child suffered. And she already had a life where she had a life where she was,

Starting point is 01:03:13 was born with challenges regarding her physical and her mental disabilities. But the pain and suffering that she suffered that night at your hands, unspeakable, absolutely unspeakable. And at the moment that first time you struck her with that hatchet and little Ronnie testified that he all he could see was tears coming out of his sister's face. At that moment, that child knew. She knew she was being betrayed in the cruelest, most tragic and sorrowful way that a child could ever be betrayed.

Starting point is 01:03:54 She was being betrayed by her parent, the one person that should be there to protect their children and love them and keep them from harm. And that was the last thing that child felt before she passed on from this earth was your utter rule betrayal to her. I read somewhere, and I don't know if it's true or not, I have no idea, but I read somewhere that souls pick their lives and that they know exactly how difficult their lives are going to be before they enter into this world. And I don't know if that's true or none. But if it is, Renivia O'Neill is one of the bravest souls I have ever come across in my 54 years on this planet. One of the bravest ever, ever, because she suffered so traumatically.

Starting point is 01:04:49 During the sentencing hearing, various members of Kiki and Renovius family took the stand to give their impact statements. The first to take the stand was Kiki's 11-year-old niece, Arianna Krumm. She had requested to be the first person to speak to the man who killed her aunt and cousin. He sat bravely in the witness stand next to the judge and looked out over the courtroom into the face of Ronnie O'Neill. She told him about what. what he had taken from her and said, A part of my heart is missing. Kiki's younger sister De Zada also spoke to Ronnie,

Starting point is 01:05:18 hoping that he is haunted by the sound of Kiki's screams from that 911 call for the rest of his life. Dikki's mother Carrie also spoke saying, My family is my life. I breathe from my family. So now you've got me gasping for air because you took my children from me. There's one more thing we want to address about Ronnie's defense.

Starting point is 01:05:39 An appeal was filed on his behalf after he was found guilty by the state of Florida. The appeal sought to have him retried under the assumption that he was in fact insane at the time of the murder. They attempted to prove this with the report by one Dr. McLean. Her report claimed that Ronnie had suffered S.A. as a child giving him PTSD. This in combination with the shooting several months prior to the incident

Starting point is 01:06:01 put him in a place of compromised mental health. Her assertion was that it was very possible for someone with PTSD to be suffering from an extreme trauma response during a stressful situation. She referenced how people with PTSD often have debilitating flashbacks, extreme fighter flight responses, aggression, trouble feeling positive emotions, etc. And while all of those things are true, there was a major wholeness argument. Dr. McLean never actually interviewed or evaluated Ronnie.

Starting point is 01:06:31 She never reviewed any of the six previous mental health evaluations made by other doctors. She did not know if he had nightmares, flashbacks, or any other physical trauma responses. In this appeal, Ronnie also brought up the argument again that Kiki had killed Renivia and that he was acting out of pure instinct and passion. Ronnie's appeal was denied. Ronnie will remain in prison until he dies. With Ronnie's three life sentences as well as an additional six years, he will never again be a free man. We found one secondhand account from another inmate serving time in the Liberty Correctional Institution in Bristol, Florida. According to this inmate, Ronnie is not serving a cushy sentence.

Starting point is 01:07:14 One consistent thing we hear is that many other inmates do not have respect for people who kill women and children. So being in prison with this piece of shit, Rodney O'Neill, in case you're not familiar with who this piece of it is, he is convicted of killing his wife, his daughter, who was 11 at the time, an attempted murder on his son who was only 10 years old at the time. He was representing himself and cross-examined his own son and made him relive the day that he murdered his sister, his mother, and his own father trying to murder him. He ultimately gets sentenced to life in prison. Life in prison in Florida means life in prison. They don't have parole. They don't have a minimum, maximum. You're doing life. The only way you're getting out of there is, in a pine box. So talking to Spahn, if you guys aren't familiar who Spahn is, he's like my little

Starting point is 01:08:16 brother. He went to prison for three years, ended up almost getting 30 after someone tried to sexually assault him and he stabbed him viciously. Go check out the video. It's one of the most horrific things that I've seen in prison. Spahn is currently in Liberty CI correctional institution with Ronnie O'Neill. And when we were talking the other day on the phone, I asked him, what's it like living with him? So he's hated by everyone. Spahn told me that it doesn't matter the race, the religion. Every organization is trying to get him, kill him.

Starting point is 01:08:51 Like, he can't even get out for five minutes without being assaulted. He's telling me that the staff over there is poisoning his food. I mean, he is going through hell. They said he got into a fight with somebody that was trying to extort him. and basically take everything from him. And he got beat so bad with a lock and a sock that they had to air flight him to a hospital. See, everybody's this tough guy, killer guy,

Starting point is 01:09:20 until they go to prison with the real killers, the real gangsters. And now they say he's scared to death. He's scared to eat food. He's scared to even walk to the showers by himself. I asked Spawn if he had any problems with him. and he told me like this. He said they're all in CM, you know, basically it's controlled movement, close management, where you're a property restriction, you know, you're only allowed out at this certain amount of time.

Starting point is 01:09:49 And he happened to be in the dog cage, which is like this tiny wreck cage with him. And they say he had a bounty on his head. It's on site. Basically, you killed a kid. You tried to kill another kid. And you killed a woman at the same time. And then you try to torture your own son. into reliving those moments.

Starting point is 01:10:08 So they put a bounty on his head because he was claiming some organization and that organization was like, yo, he is no good with us, the fact that he's even saying that. So Spahn tried to collect on that organization. On the bounty that that organization put out because you're representing a serious group of people

Starting point is 01:10:26 and you did this heinous shit. Oh no, you're getting Xed out immediately. So, you know, we're talking on the phone and I said, so basically what happened? He said, all I know is he tripped on a banana pill, walked up with blood all over his face. They shut down the little dog cage yards we were on. I went back to my cell and had $100 worth of canteen. Just know for everybody affected by this case or everyone who has kids and just can't stand people who do this heinous shit.

Starting point is 01:10:56 Every single day, he's living in hell. Leave our kids alone. Stay out. Stay free. Us. A funeral was held for Kiki. and Renivia on April 7, 2018. Their service was held at the Greater New Salem Primitive Baptist Church in Tampa, Florida.

Starting point is 01:11:13 They were buried together at the Rest Haven Memorial Park. In closing, we'd like to talk once again about the beautiful people who were attacked in the story. Renivia was the love of her mother's life. She was deeply loved by her mother, brother, teachers, peers, and everyone else who met her. Kiki was such an amazing mother in person. Her social media presence was almost all possible. positive affirmations. She was truly a ray of hope and positivity in the world. She was working so hard to provide for her children. She had returned to school and still found time to cook her

Starting point is 01:11:46 kids' favorite foods, play with them in the yard, and spruce up their bedrooms. According to her son, Little Ronnie, she was just a good mom. We did like a lot of things together. She was nice, pushed me on the swing, made me some good wings.

The Misery Machine - The Case of Ronnie O'Neal

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