Tampa convicted murderer demands new trial based on false testimony

Convicted killer wants new trial

Nathaniel O’Neal says he wants a do-over because witnesses in the case lied on the stand ten years ago. Gloria Gomez reports.

TAMPA, Fla. - A decade-old murder case is back in a Tampa courtroom and this time convicted killer Nathaniel O’Neal is looking for a different result. 

O’Neal was convicted of the murder of Akime Casey in 2014. Investigators say O’Neal shot him dead for flirting with his girlfriend during a gathering at a Tampa apartment complex on Sims Inlet Road. 

But O’Neal‘s attorney at the time, John Grant, argued the evidence against him was sketchy at best. 

Seven years ago, they lost their fight for a new trial.

Nathaniel O’Neal was convicted of killing Akime Casey in 2014.

But O’Neal continued filing his appeals and now is getting a second chance with a new attorney and a new judge. 

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During an evidentiary hearing, O’Neal claimed the witnesses in this case lied on the stand and points to a key witness who was allowed to testify despite being found mentally incompetent just days before.

"She was giving false testimony she did do that," O’Neal stated. 

Nathaniel O’Neal claims there was false testimony during his first trial. 

Later, O’Neal‘s attorney asked him if his former trial attorneys ever questioned the witness to see if she understood the duty of telling the truth.

"No ma’am," replied O’Neal. 

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O’Neal also pointed the finger at his two attorneys, including Grant, for allowing this witness to take the stand in her mental state and never challenging it. 

Grant testified at the hearing and said it wasn’t his call to make.

Nathaniel O’Neal wants a new trial ten years after being convicted for murder. 

"Mr. Peacock directed that it was not an issue, so we did not raise the issue of competency to testify, but we did consider it," explained Grant. 

Now, Tampa Judge Michel Sisco will have to decide if that decision jeopardized O’Neal’s right to a fair trial. 

Her ruling is expected in the next few weeks. 

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