Letting go of someone you love is never easy, but one Colorado couple, James and Suzanne Agnew, are now facing four charges each after police allegedly found the rotting corpse of their mutual lover, James O’Neill, 64, in their home. It all began when O’Neill’s brother called police to do a welfare check as he had been trying to contact him to let him know he had inherited some money.
When police arrived at the Lakewood couple’s condo, they originally spoke with James Agnew, assuming it was O’Neill. According to 9 News, however, body cam footage reviewed by O’Neill’s brother confirmed they did not speak to the correct “James.”
When authorities returned to the residence, Suzanne Agnew allegedly told them O’Neill had stopped living there several years ago and that he moved out to live with a “foreign woman” he met online, per the news outlet. O’Neill’s brother claimed he called and spoke to Suzanne Agnew, who said he was right next to her but “didn’t want to talk.”
The brother informed her that he needed to go to the bank in person to claim his inheritance after signing a few papers, and that’s when she reportedly dropped the call.
Investigators soon after determined that Social Security checks were being deposited into O’Neill’s account and spent. They even found footage of James Agnew making purchases with O’Neil’s debit card.
Authorities returned to the condo with a search warrant, and Suzanne Agnew immediately cooperated and told them they would find O’Neill’s corpse underneath a deflated mattress, where the couple moved him after reportedly finding him already dead because their dogs were chewing on his body. James Agnew told officers they both found him dead after “probable” drug use the night before in December 2023, 9 News reported. The body had been in their home for roughly 18 months.
It was then that Suzanne Agnew told authorities that she, O’Neill, and her husband were in an “intimate” relationship and had lived together for years. She claimed she was not ready to “give him up,” which is why they kept the body. James Agnew reportedly admitted they had access to his account and it was a “consideration” when deciding they weren’t going to report his death.
According to People, an affidavit stated both James and Suzanne Agnew were individually charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with a corpse, theft, and unauthorized use of a financial device. Thus far they have not been charged with directly causing O’Neill’s death.
