Ronnie O'Neal will represent himself during his double-murder trial after firing his two public defenders. O'Neal is accused of killing Kenyatta Barron, the mother of his children, and Ron'niveya, his 9-year-old daughter, and trying to kill his eight-year-old son before setting a house on fire three years ago. From his hospital bed, O'Neil's son, who could barely speak, told detectives about the horror he witnessed. 'My mom was in the closet and mom went into the room with my sister. She was just on the ground. The sister couldn't speak or do anything and he kept just hitting her (sister) with an ax,' he said. O'Neil's son, who was recently adopted by the caseworker overseeing his case and has a new last name, will be a star witness for the prosecution, though he won't be testifying in person. |