James O’Neal was sentenced to death by the State of Ohio for the murder of his estranged wife
According to court documents James O’Neal would break into the home of his estranged wife, Carol O’Neal, and would fatally shoot her
James O’Neal would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death
James O’Neal Photos
James O’Neal Now
Number
A325132
DOB
07/10/1954
Gender
Male
Race
Black
Admission Date
12/14/1995
Institution
Chillicothe Correctional Institution
Status
INCARCERATED
James O’Neal Case
Gov. Mike DeWine on Friday extended the reprieve for a Hamilton County man on death row for killing his wife in 1993.
James O’Neal was originally scheduled for execution in February 2021. Dewine in 2020 pushed the date to August 2023 due to a shortage of lethal injections in Ohio.
O’Neal’s new execution date will be in August 2026.
The delay is “due to ongoing problems involving the willingness of pharmaceutical companies to provide drugs to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, pursuant to DRC protocol, without endangering other Ohioans,” according a statement from the governor’s office.
James O’Neal was convicted of fatally shooting his wife, Carol O’Neal, in Sept. 1993, according to court documents filed in 2013.
The shooting took place after Carol kicked James and his sons out of her house. Court documents say James admitted to officers that he broke into the house, followed her upstairs to the bedroom, and shot her in December of that year, to “teach her a lesson.”
According to court documents, Carol’s son, Ricardo, told investigators that James attempted to shoot him but gave up when the gun jammed.
After a forensic exam took place, investigators matched the bullet to the pistol James used during the murder.
Court documents also say James was indicted for purposely causing Carol’s death during the commission of aggravated burglary, purposely causing her death with prior calculation and design for the attempted murder of Ricardo, and aggravated burglary. The indictment included four firearms and two death-penalty specifications.
He is currently at the Chillicothe Correctional Institution.
Gov. DeWine also extended reprieves for two other Ohio men: Jerome Henderson and Melvin Bonnell.
