James and Suzanne Agnew: Couple allegedly hid body of their lover, dogs chewed on it
A married couple have been arrested and charged after they allegedly hid their lover’s rotting body in their home for years.
James O’Neill was found dead in the couple’s Lakewood, Colorado home on July 3 after the man’s family asked police to do a welfare check.
The couple, Suzanne and James David Agnew, have since been arrested and charged with multiple offences, including tampering with a corpse.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Ms Agnew told investigators that she and her husband had been in a polyamorous relationship with Mr O’Neill for years.
Law & Crime shared an arrest affidavit for Mr Agnew online, which said when police spoke to him during the welfare check, he had allegedly impersonated Mr O’Neill and told officers that he wanted nothing to do with the family who were checking on him.
Mr O’Neill’s brother was shown bodycam footage of the interaction, and he told police that the man in the video was not his missing sibling.
Investigators then discovered that Mr O’Neill had called emergency services in December 2023 and said his roommate had been “making threats”, but said he did not want police to come to the house.
According to the affidavit, Ms Agnew told police that around two weeks after the emergency call she found Mr O’Neill dead in the house but decided not to call authorities because she didn’t want to “give up” Mr Agnew.
Shockingly, she also allegedly told police that the couple’s pet chihuahuas had been chewing on his dead body.
To stop this, she allegedly said that she and her husband decided to hide Mr O’Neill’s body under an air mattress.
During the initial investigation, police also learned that Mr Agnew had allegedly used Mr O’Neill’s bank account for regular transactions.
Both Mr and Ms Agnew have been charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with a corpse, theft and unauthorised use of a financial device, according to 9NEWS.
Neither of them have been charged in relation to Mr O’Neill’s death.
They are both due to appear in court within the next month.
No plea information has been made available.
