PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (Court TV/Scripps News Tampa Bay) — Shelby Nealy faces the death penalty at his Spencer hearing on Tuesday.
In July, a jury recommended that Nealy be put to death for the murders of Richard Ivancic, Laura Ivancic and Nicholas Ivancic after he pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated cruelty and first-degree murder.
The prosecution presents opening statements in the penalty phase for Shelby Nealy, who pleaded guilty to killing his wife and her family. A jury will decide if he should be sentenced to death or spend life in prison for the murders. (Court TV)
Richard and Laura were the parents of Nealy’s wife, Jamie Ivancic. Nicholas was her brother.
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Nealy was arrested in Ohio in 2019 after police caught him with a car stolen from a Tarpon Springs home, where the bodies of Jamie’s family and three dogs were discovered on New Year’s Day.
Less than a week later, Jamie’s body was found near a Port Richey home.
During the investigation, officials learned that after Nealy killed Jamie in January 2018, he posed as her by sending texts and photos of their two kids to her family to pretend she was still alive. When her family grew suspicious, Nealy traveled to their home in Tarpon Springs and killed the three family members in December 2018.
In 2023, Nealy pleaded guilty to manslaughter with a weapon for Jamie’s death, reduced from the original first-degree murder charge, and he was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
He also pleaded guilty to additional aggravated cruelty and first-degree murder charges for the deaths of Jamie’s mother, father and brother, as well as the dogs.
Tuesday’s proceedings are a Spencer hearing, which is required by Florida law. The hearing allows defense attorneys to present additional evidence and appeal directly to the judge before a formal sentence is imposed. The judge can adhere to the jury’s recommendation of death or opt to give Nealy life without parole.
