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Transcript

The Father Who Murdered His Own Family · The Mind of a Man

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: This is the worst case I've ever seen.
• 0:06
  Speaker 2: I want you to know the actual facts. I did
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: kill Kenyatta Bannon. But I want you to tell it
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: like it is if you're going to tell it.
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: This is Juanio Neal. who not only killed the mother
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: of his children and his disabled daughter, but stood at
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: his own trial and cross-examined his 11-year-old son with absolutely
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: no remorse. I did.
• 0:39
  Speaker 3: And how did I hurt you? You stabbed me. I
• 0:47
  Speaker 3: am not sorry for something I didn't do. And I
• 0:56
  Speaker 3: am not sorry for the things I did do.
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: The town of Riverview is alive with the sounds of
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: coastal Florida nights. Crickets and frogs, cicadas and eastern whippoorwills
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: wintering along the water all sing and things are peaceful.
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: But on Pike Lake Drive, the night is about to
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: take a dramatic turn. Dispatch received this horrific 911 call.
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: At the time, it was impossible to make out. A
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: woman was clearly screaming for her life. and abruptly stops.
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: In the background, a man can be heard repeatedly yelling,
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: Allah Akbar! Allah Akbar!
• 2:01
  Speaker 3: Allah Akbar!
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: Which translates to, God is greater. Law enforcement raced to
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: the home that the call initiated from. But at the scene,
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: a neighbor, James Gray, was the first to come face
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: to face with the horror of the brutal crimes that
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: had taken place. He rose from bed to the sound
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: of screaming. Looking out into the yard, he told his girlfriend,
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: now wife, to call 911. It would be the second
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: of three 911 calls dispatch would receive that night. When
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: James Gray looked out at the yard, he saw something
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: that made his stomach drop. 33-year-old mother Kenyatta Barron, who
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: went by Kiki, was laying face down in the grass.
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: A devoted, hardworking single mother of two, she had gone
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: above and beyond to provide for her two children, 9-year-old
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: Ron Nevaeh and 8-year-old Ronnie Jr. The sight of her
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: laying face down in the grass was horrifying. But the
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: man that stood above her painted the scene in an
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: even more demonic light. 29-year-old Ronnie O'Neal stood over her
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: with a gun in his hand, the butt of which
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: was red from her blood, and Ronnie's shirt was soaked
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: in it. At the sight of his neighbor, Ronnie began
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: to yell, You don't understand! You don't understand! She killed me!
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: Allah Akbar! With that, he stormed back into his own house,
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: leaving James Gray stunned and silent on his own front porch. Then,
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: Ronnie made his own 911 call. When Ronnie gave his address,
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: dispatch realized it was the same address that Kiki had
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: called them from. The same address where they heard her
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: take her last breaths through the phone. They rushed to
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: the scene of the crime, but in the few minutes
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: that it took them to arrive... More tragedy unfolded. Inside
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: the home, Ronnie picked up a hatchet and raised it
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: to the daughter that he shared with Kiki, nine-year-old Ronnevea.
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: Nonverbal and physically limited by cerebral palsy, she was known
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: by everyone around her as a sunshiny girl who pushed
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: herself every day. Screaming, Ronnie repeatedly struck his daughter, killing
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: her after several blows to her head and limbs. Then
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: he turned to his son, his namesake, who had seen
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: the tragedy befall his sister and his mother. Naturally, the
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: little eight-year-old boy was terrified. His dad screamed at him
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: and came at him with a knife, striking him repeatedly
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: until he was lying on the ground. As if everything
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: he had done wasn't unthinkable enough, Ronnie took things a
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: step further. He began to douse his son and the
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: home in gasoline. By the time law enforcement arrived, the
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: home was being devoured by flames. As first responders descended
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: on the scene, a small silhouette emerged from the smoke
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: consuming the home. Ronnie Jr. collapsed on the ground, much
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: to the shock of everyone on the scene. Upon closer inspection,
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: things were even worse than they had first seemed. Ronnie Jr.
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: was absolutely covered in blood and burns from the fire.
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: His lungs were damaged from smoke inhalation, and according to
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: responders on the scene, he was essentially holding his torso
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: together with his hand because he had been nearly disemboweled.
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: Fighting to breathe, he told responders... My dad shot my mom.
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: A firefighter on the scene would eventually testify about how
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: he responded after getting Ronnie into the ambulance to have
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: him stabilized. Every professional on the scene had the same
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: opinion about Ronnie Jr. 's chances of survival. They were slim.
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: As they scrambled to assess the situation and get Ronnie Jr.
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: to the hospital, they became aware of Kenyatta lying on
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: the ground. Medics immediately knew that she hadn't survived the
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: brutal attack. She had two gunshot wounds, one to the
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: right back shoulder and another to her elbow. Contrary to
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: many early reports, these gunshot wounds were not what killed Kiki. However,
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: the gun was the weapon that led to her death.
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: After shooting Kiki, Ronnie began to savagely beat her with
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: the butt of the gun. The violence was so relentless
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: that the gun was ultimately snapped in half by the
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: repeated blows. In total, she suffered from 15 lacerations to
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: her head, including six skull fractures, several fractures to her face,
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: and a fractured jaw. She had fought for her life,
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: but ultimately she died of blunt force trauma from the
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: violence of Ronnie. Ronnie was not done with his reign
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: of terror. As law enforcement tried to handle the scene,
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: he emerged from the garage, speaking nonsensically. Officers yelled commands
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: at him, but he refused to listen, prompting them to
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: fire several taser rounds at him to bring him to
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: the ground. They shoved Ronnie into the back of the
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: police car. Reportedly in the car, he began to repeat
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: several phrases over and over, calling Kiki the white devil
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: and claiming that she had killed him. If this tragic
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: scene makes no sense to you, you're not alone. However,
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: Ronnie's past may provide some insight into how this horrific
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: act came to be. Ronnie grew up in Florida, attending
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: East Bay High School. He was raised entirely by his
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: mother because his father, who suffered from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia,
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: was unable to care for him or maintain any stability.
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: Though Ronnie has not been formally diagnosed with any condition,
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are both hereditary and can lead
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: to psychosis, a disconnection from reality sometimes marked by thoughts
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: of grandeur and delusions. Frequently, these delusions are related to
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: religion in some way. Ronnie was not raised with religion. However,
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: sometime in his early 20s, he became infatuated with Islam.
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: At that point in his life, he was relatively lost.
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: Though he had tried to get into the Marine Corps,
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: he had failed his entrance test. He pinged around from
• 7:59
  Speaker 1: job to job, frequently getting fired and having run-ins with
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: law enforcement for crimes like theft and possession of controlled substances.
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: In all of the chaos... was Kiki, who he met
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: and had two children with. The two were never married,
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: and by 2012, the pair was officially separated. Despite his
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: challenges and his instability, Kiki viewed him as the father
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: of her children. That's why, in 2017, after Ronnie nearly
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: died in a drive-by shooting, she took him in. His
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: erratic behavior had driven most of his family and friends away,
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: but Kiki, who was kind to a fault, decided to
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: give him a soft place to land. The two weren't
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: romantically involved, but she wanted the best for him and
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: their family as a whole. Unfortunately, he did not want
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: the best for her, nor their beautiful children. Ronnie Jr.
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: was barely clinging to life in the hospital. Yet, miraculously,
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: he began to recover. Detective Mike Blair, who was one
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: of the first officers on the scene, was in charge
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: of interviewing Ronnie. But to Mike, it was more than
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: just an interview. Ronnie Jr. was just eight years old,
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: all alone in the world and suffering from traumatic injuries.
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: And yet, he was a smiley boy who Mike loved instantly.
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: On one occasion, Ronnie asked if Mike would stay to
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: watch a movie with him. Since it was date night
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: with his wife, Mike asked if she could tag along. Together,
• 9:17
  Speaker 1: the three watched a movie in the hospital room and bonded. Immediately, Danielle,
• 9:22
  Speaker 1: Mike's wife, knew that she wanted Ronnie to be a
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: part of their family. In the wake of this horrific tragedy,
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: the connection of the Blairs was a shining light. When
• 9:32
  Speaker 1: Mike was contacted by Child Protective Services to see if
• 9:34
  Speaker 1: there was any family Ronnie could go to when he
• 9:36
  Speaker 1: was released from the hospital, he already knew the answer
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: was no. But instead of sending the representatives on their way,
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: he told them that he wanted to take Ronnie in.
• 9:46
  Speaker 1: Ronnie was thrilled to be part of a new family.
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: At the same time, the trial to get justice for
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: his mother and sister loomed. And the trial would prove
• 9:56
  Speaker 1: to be one of the most unhinged in Florida's history.
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: You will know the truth, whether in this trial or
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: the next one. Better believe it. If you think I'm
• 10:13
  Speaker 2: here to play around with y'all, God damn it, I'm not.
• 10:16
  Speaker 3: All right, Mr.
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: O'Neal, please stop using swearing language. It's not appropriate in
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: a closing argument.
• 10:24
  Speaker 3: I am not sorry for something I didn't do. And
• 10:33
  Speaker 3: I am not sorry for the things I did do.
• 10:37
  Speaker 2: Because I want you to know.
• 10:40
  Speaker 3: The actual facts.
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: Though everyone in the United States has the right to
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: court-appointed representation, Ronnie decided to forego that and represent himself.
• 11:05
  Speaker 1: This led to several days of outbursts in court, him
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: displaying no remorse, and ultimately, the most heartbreaking moment of
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: the trial. Ronnie, cross-examining, his own son. Ronnie Jr. was
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: a key witness in the trial. As such, he was
• 11:23
  Speaker 1: legally allowed to be cross-examined by the defense's representation, in
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: this case, his dad. To help the 11-year-old overcome such
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: an ordeal, he was allowed to be in a remote
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: location with his adoptive parents during the questioning.
• 11:36
  Speaker 3: How you doing?
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: Good.
• 11:37
  Speaker 3: It's good to see you, man. Good to see you, too.
• 11:45
  Speaker 3: Did I hurt you that night of this incident?
• 11:52
  Speaker 2: Yes.
• 11:54
  Speaker 3: I did. And how did I hurt you? You stabbed me.
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: Unsurprisingly, Ronnie was convicted of one count of attempted first
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: degree murder, one count of arson, one count of resisting
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: a law enforcement officer, and two counts of first degree murder.
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: He was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences without the
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: possibility of parole, plus an additional 90 years. Fortunately, his
• 12:20
  Speaker 1: son has been given a beautiful chance at life with
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: a supportive family, and he gets to carry on the
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: legacy of his mother and sister.