Colorado Man Keeps Deceased ‘Threesome Partner’s’ Body For Over 18 Months To Commit Social Security Fraud

A man in Colorado kept another man’s body in his home for more than 18 months to collect his Social Security payments. He was arrested in July 2025 along with his wife, according to Law&Crime and has been sentenced.

The defendant, James David Agnew, 56, pleaded guilty last week to one count each of tampering with a deceased body and identity theft, according to Jefferson County court records obtained by Law&Crime. Agnew was sentenced to five years in state prison on each count, to be served concurrently. Since he has already spent 276 days in pretrial detention, he is expected to serve more than four years in the state Department of Corrections.

The body of James O’Neill, 62, was discovered in June 2025 after Lakewood Police Department officers were asked by O’Neill’s brother to conduct a welfare check. He said the family had not seen O’Neill since 2019 and had not spoken to him since 2021.

According to an arrest affidavit, when police arrived at an apartment on South Ammons Street, a man came out and identified himself as “James,” insisting he did not want to see or speak with his family.

However, authorities later showed body camera footage to O’Neill’s family, who said the man was not him.

The affidavit states, “Robert said this is not his brother. Agents later were able to identify this male as James Agnew but based on the conversation he appeared to be implying that he was James O'Neill.”

When police returned to the apartment, James David Agnew and his wife, Suzanne Agnew, refused to let them inside. When James O’Neill’s brother called to discuss an “inheritance that needed to be deposited” into O’Neill’s bank account, the couple claimed O’Neill was back in the house.

According to police, the pair provided O’Neill’s bank account and Social Security numbers, but when they learned he needed to be present for the deposit, they “immediately stopped talking to him.”

In July 2025, when Agnew was arrested on an outstanding warrant, Suzanne was also taken into custody. According to an officer, she cooperated with investigators. “She said she understood and immediately told me we would find James O'Neill's body in the residence, indicating he was deceased. I let other detectives know and then came back out to Suzanne to provide her with a Miranda Advisement.”

In an interview, Suzanne Agnew said that James O’Neill, whom she identified as “Jim,” had been in a “three-way relationship” with them for years. “She said they've lived together for many years and have had an intimate relationship with the three of them involved,” the arrest affidavit said.

O’Neill died in December 2023. However, the defendants are not suspected of killing him. The affidavit said he likely died from a medical condition, drug use, or a combination of both.

An officer wrote in the affidavit, “I asked Suzanne about when they decided to cover up his body and she said after about a week the chihuahuas began 'chewing' on him so she covered him with a deflated air mattress to try to keep them away.”

Law enforcement determined that the couple used about $17,406 of O’Neill’s Social Security payments over the 18 months they kept his body. Suzanne Agnew has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Under a plea agreement, prosecutors dropped an additional five felony counts against James David Agnew, including abuse of a corpse, theft, attempted theft, unauthorized use of a financial device and another count of identity theft.