US couple accused of living with lover's body for nearly 2 years, spending his money
The gruesome living arrangement was discovered in early July after the brother of 64-year-old James Frances O'Neill called the Lakewood police department in Jefferson county and requested a welfare check, according to a July 11 police arrest affidavit.
During the investigation, police determined that the roommates spent more than US$17,000 with O'Neill's debit card and that someone had forged his signature on a car title after O'Neill died in their flat in December 2023, according to the affidavit.
The body had stayed in the flat under a deflated air mattress since late December 2023 until police served a search warrant on July 3. The couple confessed to keeping the body inside and not reporting the death to police, in part because they were spending O'Neill's social security money, the affidavit stated.
James Agnew, 55, and Suzanne Agnew, 57, each face one count of tampering with a deceased body, abuse of a corpse, one count of theft between US$5,000 and US$20,000 and one count of unauthorised use of a financial device, court records show. The arrest was first reported by 9News.
The death investigation began after O'Neill's brother called the Lakewood police to ask for a welfare check in June 2025 after not hearing from him since 2021.
When police went to the flat in the 3400 block of South Ammon Street, a man met them outside, implied that he was O'Neill and told police that he did not wish to have contact with his family.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
4 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
‘Bear attack' victim in Japan was actually killed by son, police say
A man in northeastern Japan has been arrested on suspicion of killing his 93-year-old father, who police initially believed was the victim of a bear attack. Fujiyuki Shindo, 51, was arrested on Tuesday in the city of Daisen, Akita prefecture, after allegedly slashing his father, Fujiyoshi, to death with a knife at their family home. Authorities say the attack occurred on Monday, prompting an emergency call from the victim's 80-year-old wife, who found her husband collapsed and bleeding in a first-floor bedroom shortly after 1pm. Emergency responders rushed Fujiyoshi to hospital, but he was pronounced dead from blood loss. In the immediate aftermath, local officials issued an warning to residents, alerting them via email to what was thought to be a bear attack. The region has experienced a recent surge in bear sightings and attacks, with more than 650 incidents reported in Akita since the start of July – almost three times as many as during the same period last year, according to public broadcaster NHK.
South China Morning Post
13 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Clarity on Hong Kong's water procurement scandal needed quickly
The Hong Kong government carries a heavy responsibility as a major procurer of goods and services. While there are well-established procurement guidelines to ensure value for public money, fair competition and accountability, irregularities may still occur, as in the latest suspected water procurement fraud . Officials must expeditiously find out what went wrong and learn from the episode. Advertisement The controversy came to light last Saturday when the Government Logistics Department announced it had 'partially terminated' a bottled water supply contract with Xin Ding Xin Trade Co Ltd, citing doubts over the company's ability to fulfil the deal, which covers the supply of 'XinLe' bottled water manufactured by Robust (Guangdong) Drinking Water's Guangzhou branch to government offices on Hong Kong Island and some outlying islands starting from the end of June for 36 months. Investigations showed the contracted firm had no business dealings with the Guangzhou-based company and instead sourced products from another supplier in Dongguan . The police arrested a man and a woman in connection with the case on Sunday and will investigate further together with the mainland authorities. The scandal has raised questions over the procurement process , including whether the bidders and products are subject to integrity and quality checks. It was found that the company had won three other chemical contracts; the authorities cancelled them following the incident. There are also queries as to why the water contract was awarded despite being considerably costlier. According to details published by the logistics department, the company would supply 1.88 million bottles of water at a price of HK$52.9 million (US$6.8 million), which translated to over HK$28 per bottle, whereas the winning tenders for government offices in Kowloon and the New Territories offered bottled water of other brands at HK$23.80 and HK$26 per bottle, respectively. Advertisement With some 30,000 bottles in question distributed to different districts before being impounded, the health concerns are understandable. The government has taken the right step to replace the products in the meantime, even though test results showed the drinking water from all suppliers complied with the safety standards.
South China Morning Post
15 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
US Justice Dept probes whether Washington police falsified crime data
The US Justice Department has opened an investigation into whether police officials in Washington have falsified data to make crime rates appear lower than they are, according to two people familiar with the investigation who were not authorised to publicly discuss an open investigation. Advertisement The investigation comes amid an escalating – and political – showdown between the Trump administration and the city over control of the police department. It was not immediately clear which federal laws could have been violated by the possible manipulation of crime data. US President Donald Trump has claimed that violent crime in Washington is getting worse as he ordered a federal takeover of the city's police department, flooding the streets with hundreds of National Guard members But he exaggerated or misstated many facts about public safety in Washington, where crime rates have fallen in recent years. Advertisement Mayor Muriel Bowser's office declined to comment on the investigation. A spokesperson for US Attorney Jeannine Pirro's office in Washington did not respond to emails seeking comment.
