The Murder of Kenyatta Barron and Ron’Niveya Oneal
A violent father on trial for the brutal attack on his family
On March 18, 2018, in the Riverview area of Tampa, Florida, 33-year-old Kenyatta Barron and her 9-year-old disabled daughter, Ron’Niveya, were murdered. Kenyatta’s son, 8-year-old Ronnie Jr. was brutally stabbed but survived the attack. The person who stands accused of the crime is Kenyatta’s boyfriend and the children’s father, Ronnie Oneal III.
According to the prosecutors in the case, Oneal shot Kenyatta and then beat her to death with the shotgun he had used. He then went on to murder Ron’Niveya with an ax before moving on to stab Ronnie Jr. Once he was done, he set the house on fire.
Oneal has been all over the news in recent days due to the theatrical cross-examination of his son at his trial. Representing himself, Oneal further brutalized his now eleven-year-old son by forcing him to directly face the man who stabbed him and killed his family, his own father, during cross-examination.
On June 16, 2021, Ronnie Jr. testified via video link, telling the jurors that his father killed his mother. Oneal refuted his son’s testimony, confronting the child with accusations that his testimony did not match his earlier statements, but when he asked Ronnie Jr. if he had hurt him on the…
