Robert O'Neill, Jr.

Robert J. O'Neill, Jr., a Delaware native, was raised on the Sussex County side of Milford. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Delaware in 1981. In 1982, he began his legal education at Villanova Law School where he captained the rugby team for two years. Upon graduating from Villanova in 1985, he served a judicial clerkship with the Honorable William B Chandler, Ill and William S. Lee on the Superior Court of the State of Delaware in and for Sussex County.

In 1987, Mr. O'Neill was sworn in as a Deputy Attorney General for the State of Delaware. He began his prosecutorial career in the Wilmington office of the DUI Unit followed by a tour in the Court of Common Pleas. Mr. O'Neill was then assigned to the Sex Crimes Unit where he prosecuted rape and child sexual abuse cases for over six years. In 1995, he was promoted to the position of Chief Prosecutor of Kent County where he served until 2007. He returned to the Wilmington office where he headed up the statewide Asset Forfeiture Unit until he officially retired on January 1, 2018.

During his 31-year career, Mr. O'Neill tried nine Capital murder cases/penalty hearings in addition to other non-Capital murder cases and violent felonies. Over the course of his career, he attended numerous conferences and seminars including the Career Prosecutor Course offered by the National College of District Attorneys in Houston, Texas, where he was selected to serve as a Faculty Advisor the following year. As the Chief Prosecutor of Kent County, he was an Honorary Commander at the 436th Air Lift Wing of the Dover Air Force Base. In 2016, Mr. O'Neill was selected to and attended the National Security Forum at the Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.

On numerous occasions, Mr. O'Neill was a guest on Court TV in New York City. He was appointed by the Honorable Henry DuPont Ridgely to serve on the Superior Court Rules Committee. He also served as Superior Court Arbitrator handling civil lawsuits. Between 1994 and 2004, Mr. O'Neill was an adjunct professor at the University of Delaware.

Additionally, Mr. O'Neill is a member of the Board of Directors for Rugby Delaware, a non-profit organization which promotes youth rugby, as well as a member of the St. Patrick's Day Society Committee in Wilmington, which helps the under-privileged. Over the course of his career, he has been involved in numerous charitable causes.

Mr. O'Neill is a member of the Delaware Bar Association and is an in-active member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association. He spends his spare time between Wilmington and Rehoboth Beach enjoying golf, reading, travel, biking and the Philadelphia Eagles.

In June 2020, Mr. O'Neill was appointed Deputy City Solicitor for the City of Newark, Delaware. In this capacity he handles all criminal prosecutions in Newark Alderman's Court.