A Colorado man will serve several years in state prison after pleading guilty to concealing the body of his deceased roommate for roughly 18 months all while continuing to collect the dead man’s Social Security income and use his bank card for everyday purchases.
James David Agnew, 56, entered guilty pleas last week to one count each of tampering with a deceased body and identity theft, according to Jefferson County. A judge sentenced him to five years in state prison on each count, to be served concurrently.
With 276 days of pretrial detention already credited, Agnew is expected to spend just over four years behind bars for his treatment of the corpse of 62-year-old James O’Neill, whose body remained in the couple’s Lakewood apartment from December 2023 through mid-2025. Under the terms of his plea agreement, prosecutors agreed to drop five additional felony charges against him, including abuse of a corpse, theft, and unauthorized use of a financial device.
Lakewood, a large suburban city immediately west of Denver, is where the grim arrangement played out. The case only came to light in June 2025, when officers from the Lakewood Police Department were asked by O’Neill’s brother to conduct a welfare check. The family had not seen him since 2019 or spoken to him since 2021.
At the apartment on South Ammons Street, a man emerged and identified himself as “James” but when police later shared body camera footage with O’Neill’s brother, he was unequivocal. “Robert said this is not his brother,” the affidavit reads, noting that agents subsequently identified the man as James Agnew, who appeared to be impersonating O’Neill.
Investigators returned to the residence but were refused entry. In a separate attempt to flush out the truth, O’Neill’s brother called the Agnews, claiming there was an inheritance that needed to be deposited into O’Neill’s account. The couple’s story shifted, suddenly suggesting O’Neill was back in the house, yet they still refused to let him speak with their roommate.
They did, however, readily hand over O’Neill’s bank account and Social Security numbers. When told O’Neill would need to be present for the deposit, the couple “immediately stopped talking to him,” police allege. Surveillance footage from a nearby 7-Eleven, where O’Neill’s debit card was used on multiple occasions, showed James Agnew making the purchases.
The breakthrough came when Suzanne Agnew, upon learning officers had a search warrant, immediately volunteered the truth. “She said she understood and immediately told me we would find James O’Neill’s body in the residence,” an officer wrote.
Suzanne told investigators the three had shared both a home and an intimate relationship for years. When O’Neill died in December 2023 — likely from a medical condition, drug use, or both she admitted she initially refused to let him go. She also acknowledged “it was wrong” not to report the death.
In total, the couple used approximately $17,406 of O’Neill’s Social Security money over the 18-month period. Suzanne Agnew has pleaded not guilty and is due in court on May 26 for a pretrial conference.
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