2018 Riverview killings

On March 18, 2018, in Riverview, Florida, a 29-year-old man, Ronnie Oneal III, murdered his girlfriend, 33-year-old Kenyatta Barron, and their 9-year-old daughter and attempted to kill their 8-year-old son Ronnie Oneal IV.[1] Ronnie Oneal IV, the sole survivor of the attack, managed to escape the home, alerting detectives, "My father shot my mother", before being escorted to a local hospital. Events: At 11:43 p.m. EDT, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office received a 911 emergency call from an unknown woman, now believed to have been Kenyatta. An unknown male voice can be heard screaming "Allah Akbar" (which means "God is the greatest"). Then the female caller said, "I’m so sorry Ronnie," as she screamed loudly. A male caller could be heard in the background saying, "She killed me," and, "Don’t come outside, call 911 now," according to the news release. The 911 call ended shortly thereafter. Eight minutes later, a second 911 call came in at 11:51 p.m., this time featuring a male caller claiming to have been attacked by "white demons" and accusing Kenyatta (addressed as "Ke-Ke" in the call) of trying to kill him, and that he "just killed her." Ronnie III gave their home address. Deputies arrived at the home at 11:49 p.m. to find a woman, later identified as Kenyatta, lying unconscious in the yard of the home at the mentioned address. Prior to killing her, Ronnie III yelled, "Come in here, kill this bitch!" Ronnie III also beat his daughter with an ax, killing her, and stabbed his son, Ronnie IV, leaving him critically wounded. Ronnie III then proceeded to set fire to their home, but Ronnie IV escaped the home with stab wounds and burns and told a detective, "My father shot my mother" and was promptly transported to a hospital for treatment of his serious injuries. Ronnie III resisted arrest until being tasered by police, who were then able to quickly arrest him. While inside the squad car, he called his murdered victim Kenyatta "the devil" and said, "The kids are the devil's kids." He was booked into Hillsborough County Jail the next day. On March 22, four days after the attack, Ronnie IV told detectives his account of the events of March 18 that left his mother and sister dead. Sentencing: The sentencing hearing for Ronnie III began on June 16, 2021. The survivor, Ronnie IV, testified in court as a witness to the case. Ronnie III asked him, "Did I hurt you that night of the incident?", to which the boy replied "Yes". Ronnie III then asked him, "How did I hurt you?" The boy replied, "You stabbed me." Ronnie III had served as his own attorney, cross-examining Ronnie IV and claiming that his son had lied to investigators. Initially, court documents filed by attorneys claimed that Ronnie III was acting in self-defense, thus invoking the "stand-your-ground law". However, on June 21, 2021, Ronnie III was still found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted first-degree murder, as well as counts of aggravated child abuse, arson, and resisting a law enforcement officer. On July 23, 2021, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole plus 90 years, run consecutively. Owing to the details and facts about the case, sentencing judge Michelle Sisco described it as the "worst case she's ever seen" in her long career, dating back to 2002, of being a judge. State Attorney Andrew Warren's response to the attacks was "These murders are among the most cruel and vicious our community has ever seen." Aftermath: On November 25, 2019, Ronnie IV was adopted by detective Mike Blair, who saved his life on the night of the killings. Ronnie IV changed his name to Ronnie Blair and became a brother to the five biological children, aged 16 to 23, of Mike Blair and his wife Danyel. Mike recalls the night of the killings, saying that there was "no expectation Ronnie would live", and considers Ronnie's recovery to be a miracle. Of the adoption, Ronnie says that he is "loved" and "part of the family."