A Middleton man was arrested early Monday morning in connection with the May murder of Timothy D. O’Neil, 55, of Lynnfield, according to Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker.
John Kosta, 53, is expected to be arraigned later today in Peabody District Court on a murder charge. Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to the DA’s office took Kosta into custody with help from the State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section and the U.S. Marshals Service.
O’Neil, a beloved husband, father, and grandfather, was found dead in his Lynnfield home on May 9. His sudden passing shocked the North Shore communities of Lynn and Lynnfield, where he was known for his warmth, humor, and love of sports.
Born in Salem on Halloween in 1969, O’Neil grew up in Lynn and was a star athlete at St. Mary’s High School. He played on the school’s back-to-back state championship baseball teams in 1987 and 1988 and continued his football career at Loomis Chaffee, Westfield State, and UMass Boston. O’Neil later played semi-professional football for the Merrimack Valley Outlaws and the Lynn Havoc.
Friends and family knew him as “Timmy” or “Bull,” a dependable and self-employed landscaper who prided himself on a perfectly kept lawn and a strong presence at local gyms and golf courses. A lifelong Dallas Cowboys fan, he was as dedicated to his teams as he was to his family.
“He was the quiet rock of our family,” his obituary reads, “whose strength, warmth, and kindness will be deeply missed.”
O’Neil is survived by his wife, Kristin, his children Terin O’Neil and Alicia Kuchar, his granddaughter Layla Rich, his mother Cathy O’Neil, and siblings, nieces, nephews, and many extended family members and friends.
A GoFundMe page has been established in his memory to support his family: gofundme.com/f/in-loving-memory-of-tim-oneil. The GoFundMe page has raised just over $25,000.
The investigation into his death remains ongoing. No motive or additional details were released as of press time.
