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Lawyer will represent Ronnie Oneal III in penalty phase of murder trial

Oneal's fate remains in the hands of the jury, who found him guilty of the 2018 killing of his girlfriend and their 9-year-old daughter.

RIVERVIEW, Fla. — After representing himself in his own murder trial, Ronnie Oneal III will allow his attorneys to step in for the penalty phase.

"Mr. Oneal wanted to represent himself. He exercised a constitutional right, he was given the right to do so. Now, he wishes to have counsel which is also his right," Hillsborough Circuit Judge Michelle Sisco said Tuesday.

Oneal was found guilty Monday of the 2018 killing of his girlfriend and their 9-year-old daughter. He was also found guilty of arson, aggravated child abuse and the attempted murder of his son, who he stabbed and lit on fire.

"We the jury find as follows, the defendant is guilty of first-degree murder as charged. The defendant actively possessed and discharged a firearm as charged," a juror read in court Monday.

RELATED: Ronnie Oneal rests case after 32 minutes of questioning witnesses in his capital murder trial

It seems Oneal is following Judge Michelle Sisco's advice in allowing counsel representation for the next phase of the trial. 

"As we move into penalty phase, I'm really going to strongly encourage you to allow counsel to step in and represent you. I don't want you to make a decision right now, I want you to give it some serious, serious consideration," the judge said Monday.

The jury will begin the penalty phase at 9 a.m. Wednesday, and the judge expects the trial to formally conclude before the end of the week.

During the trial, there were some high-profile moments inside the courtroom. Last Wednesday, Oneal cross-examined his 11-year-old son. The next day, he publicly thanked the detective who adopted that son.

RELATED: Ronnie Oneal III thanks detective who adopted his critically injured son

Oneal, 32, was first arrested in March 2018.

In May of that year, the State Attorney's Office said it would seek the death penalty. Five months after that, Oneal was found not competent to stand trial.

That is until May 2019 when the Department of Children and Families sent a letter to the judge saying, "the treatment staff are of the opinion that this resident is competent to proceed and no longer meets criteria for continued involuntary commitment."

Before the trial even began, Oneal told prospective jurors he believes in the death penalty while addressing them in court.

“When it comes to the death penalty, I just want to let you all know that, me personally, I am for it. If somebody has committed these crimes, they are worthy of death," he said.

RELATED: Ronnie Oneal III found guilty of murdering girlfriend, daughter in Riverview

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