FL v. Shelby Nealy: In-Law Massacre Sentencing

DAILY TRIAL UPDATES

DAY 8 – 7/25/25

• VIDEO: FL v. Shelby Nealy, Day 8 | In-Law Massacre Sentencing
• Prosecutors delivered closing arguments seeking the death penalty for Nealy. The prosecution said evidence showed premeditation, including how Nealy killed his wife, then called her parents for money before later murdering them and Nick, while also texting women and pawning the victims’ jewelry afterward. The prosecution dismissed defense claims about mitigating factors like depression and childhood trauma, arguing the calculated nature of the crimes and Nealy’s behavior afterward justify “the ultimate punishment.”
  • WATCH: In-Law Massacre Sentencing | Prosecution Closing Argument: Part 1
  • WATCH: In-Law Massacre Sentencing | Prosecution Closing Argument: Part 2
• Defense attorney Bjorn Brunvand urged jurors to see Shelby Nealy as a deeply traumatized man, not a monster, who snapped while trying to protect his daughter. Brunvand highlighted his remorse, past abuse, and efforts to take responsibility, arguing that life in prison without parole is a just and merciful sentence. The plea for mercy, Brunvand said, wasn’t just for Nealy, but rather for his children, who may one day want to get to know their father.
  • WATCH: In-Law Massacre Sentencing | Defense Closing Argument
• After deliberating for an hour and 42 minutes, the jury decided that Shelby Nealy deserves to be executed for his crimes. The jury voted 11-1 that he get a death sentence for all three victims. A Spencer Hearing was scheduled for Dec. 9, when Nealy will be formally sentenced.
  • WATCH: Jury Recommends Death Penalty for Shelby Nealy for In-Law Massacre

DAY 7 – 7/24/25

• VIDEO: FL v. Shelby Nealy, Day 7 | In-Law Massacre Sentencing
• Michelle Justus, a former co-worker of Nealy, testified she saw Nealy with bruises and a black eye. Nealy said his wife was pregnant and she couldn’t take medication that prevented her from being mean and violent.
  • Justus testified that Jamie called the store where they worked many times, demanding Nealy come home.
• A prison and jail expert testified that Nealy would be productive in prison, noting he’s followed the rules since his arrest and obtained his GED and became a paralegal.
• Paul Swensen, who became Nealy’s stepfather when the boy was just 3 years old, described a troubled childhood marked by ADHD diagnosis, school difficulties, and significant trauma.
  • “Shelby was a handful, but it was fun raising him,” Swensen said.
  • When Nealy was 15 and sought to meet his biological father for the first time, Swensen testified that Nealy’s father’s wife “seduced and had sex” with the teenager.
  • According to Swensen, Nealy blamed himself for his father’s suicide. “Shelby was devastated when his biological father killed himself,” Swensen said. “He was broken. I’ve never seen him this way in his life.”
  • Swensen also described a volatile relationship between Nealy and Jamie. He testified that Nealy once arrived at their home covered in bruises, with injuries to his eye and neck, which Swensen attributed to Jamie.
  • When asked about the murders, Swensen became emotional, saying Nealy “will always be my little boy” and that he continues weekly phone calls with his stepson despite not being able to visit him in jail.
  • WATCH: Shelby Nealy’s Step-Father Testifies That He Will Continue To Love His Son
• Lisa Swensen, the defendant’s mother, described becoming pregnant with Nealy when she was just 18 years old and marrying his father, Bobby, who was also 18 at the time. The couple lived with Bobby’s parents in Texas.
  • She testified that Bobby was abusive during and after her pregnancy, describing through tears a “very violent life” that eventually led her to go into hiding with her young son.
  • After a brief relationship with another emotionally abusive man, Swensen met Paul Swensen when Shelby was 3 years old, providing more stability in their lives.
  • Swensen testified that Nealy was “very active” in his toddler years and was eventually diagnosed with ADHD, as was his younger brother.
  • Swensen recounted the phone call when Nealy confessed to the murders after his arrest. “He told me one day he’ll be a famous author and will give me the money from the book,” Swensen said, adding that Nealy referred to it as a book about “this infamous case.”
  • Swensen testified about the time she and Nealy’s stepfather were called to pick up Nealy’s newborn daughter and described an incident when Jamie came “storming in” to retrieve her daughter.
  • Prosecutors questioned Swensen about Nealy’s troubles in high school and issues with drugs and stealing. She also admitted asking Nealy to leave Jamie because it was a “toxic relationship.”
  • On redirect examination, Swensen testified that Nealy “has made it clear he’s never getting out of prison, but I still love him.”
  • WATCH: Shelby Nealy’s Mother Emotionally Testifies About Her Son’s Life
• Following Swensen’s testimony, the defense rested its case. The prosecution announced it would not call any rebuttal witnesses. The judge released the jury for the day, informing them that he and the attorneys would draft jury instructions.

DAY 6 – 7/23/25

• VIDEO: FL v. Shelby Nealy, Day 6 | In-Law Massacre Sentencing
• Maria DeLiberato, one of Nealy’s former attorneys and executive director of Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty:
  • Developed a friendship with Nealy that continued after she left the case
  • Described him as a friend who has come “part of her family.”
  • Testified that Nealy is “more than what he’s done” and agreed with the defense that he is “capable of loving others.”
  • She is collecting Nealy’s handwritten letters and cards for his children while Nealy cannot contact them in the hopes that the children will want to read them when they become adults and can decide whether to initiate contact with him.
  • Nealy self-published a book to give him purpose in jail; FADP volunteers helped him type and publish it.
  • Nealy contacts her asking about her safety and welfare, like when she was caught in the Maui wildfires, during storms and natural disasters, and when she goes on extreme mountain-climbing trips.
  • Tense cross-examination as ASA Sarabia suggested Nealy is trying to profit off his notoriety with his book, pressed her on her anti-death penalty bias, and brought up that the victims can’t send letters to Nealy’s children.
• Three current and one retired law enforcement witnesses from Florida and Ohio testified to domestic calls they responded to involving Nealy and his wife, Jamie.
  • Two of those contacts in Florida resulted in Jamie being “Baker-Acted” or taken into custody for an evaluation to determine if she was a threat to herself or others.
  • In one instance in which Jamie was Baker-Acted, Nealy told the deputy Jamie had threatened to kill herself and her unborn child, and the deputy observed a “surface cut” on Jamie’s belly.
  • In an instance in Ohio, the couple’s landlord called police on them; the officer found Nealy on the floor with Jamie sitting on top of him; Nealy said his wife had stopped taken medication for bipolar disorder; he scratches and a black eye from what he said was a prior incident by Jamie; Jamie told the deputy the fight started because she told Nealy she was going to leave him and he beat and choked her so she sat on him to keep him at bay.

DAY 5 – 7/22/25

• VIDEO: FL v. Shelby Nealy, Day 5 | In-Law Massacre Sentencing
• The jury sees Nealy’s second police interview, in which he tells a detective that after strangling Jamie, he hit her in the head with a hammer to make sure she was dead.
  • The interview starts with the defendant asking where his kids are followed by a 5-minute discussion about if/when they can stay with his mother, saying he doesn’t want them to end up with a foster family.
  • Det. Anderson brings the conversation back to details of Jamie Ivancic’s death. Again, Nealy accuses Jamie of beating him and cutting him with a knife before lunging at his daughter with the knife, at which point Nealy said he intervened and started choking out Jamie.
  • Throughout the interview, Nealy returns to the topic of his children’s welfare, saying he hopes there can be “happy ending” for them even though there won’t be one for him.
  • Nealy asks the detective several times about what’s next for him, including if he’ll end up on death row.
  • In a somewhat gentle but matter-of-fact tone, the detective lays out the factors that are a “recipe for a possible death penalty case,” including Nealy’s planning, his lying in wait for the victims and the brutal nature of the murders.
• The jury heard Nealy’s 15-minute phone call with his mother in which he pleads with her to look after his two children.
  • WATCH: Nealy to Mom: ‘They Figured Out Who Did It and Then They Caught Me’
• The state rested its case-in-chief
  • WATCH: The State Rests Its Case in The In-Law Massacre Sentencing
• In their opening statement, the defense details Nealy’s traumatic background, suggesting it influenced his actions. The defense urges the jury to consider mercy and the possibility of a life sentence without parole instead of capital punishment, ensuring public safety while recognizing Nealy’s acceptance of responsibility
  • WATCH: In-Law Massacre Sentencing: Defense Opening Statement
• Rachel Rigby read an expletive-laden poem written by Nealy, which expresses anger at his father for killing himself.
  • WATCH: Friend Reads Shelby Nealy Expletive-Laden Poem, Expressing Anger at His Dad

DAY 4 – 7/21/25

• VIDEO: FL v. Shelby Nealy, Day 4 | In-Law Massacre Sentencing
• Det. Sgt. Derek James Anderson recalled responding to the crime scene at the home.
  • Upon entering, he smelled decomposition and saw insect activity on windows.
  • Found blood-soaked couch, trashed kitchen, fresh tarp in living room, furniture pushed around, spray-painted walls, incense burners and cleaning chemicals scattered.
    • WATCH: Detective: Incense, Roof Sealant, Paint In Room With Body
  • Nicholas Ivancic’s body was found under a tarp in the back bedroom which also had a strong odor of chemicals and decomposition.
  • Richard and Laura Ivancic’s bodies were found in the master suite; they were both partially covered and had been doused in paint.
  • Det. Anderson testified about a Home Depot receipt found at the scene which was linked to items Nealy had purchased.
  • Det. Anderson also said that Laura’s missing Kia SUV and Nealy were tracked to Lakewood, Ohio via surveillance and vehicle records.
• Digital Evidence (Facebook Messenger)
  • Jury reviewed Nealy’s messages to his mother and Ohio friends before, during, and after the 2018 murders.
  • He flirted with a woman named Summer Kolt, sent a topless selfie, and talked about moving to Ohio for Christmas.
  • Nealy falsely told friends he traded his car for a Kia (actually his murdered mother-in-law’s SUV).
  • Claimed he was waiting out a blizzard and his daughter’s flu before relocating.
  • Lied about being robbed and needing to sell belongings; shared photos of a coin collection stolen from his murdered father-in-law.
  • Told a friend he “inherited” $25K in coins and described himself as a “criminal genius.”
  • Nealy used Laura Ivancic’s phone to text concerned family members false stories about a family emergency in Texas.
  • Similarly used wife Jamie’s phone to cover her death in early 2018.
• Police Interrogation (Video)
  • WATCH: Shelby Nealy: ‘I Had To Figure Out What the F*** To Do With 3 Bodies’ 
  • Nealy confessed emotionlessly to killing Richard, Laura, and Nick Ivancic.
  • Described killing wife Jamie months earlier after she allegedly attacked their daughter with a knife.
  • Claimed Jamie had schizophrenia and psychotic episodes.
  • Said he buried Jamie in their backyard and trashed the home to distract from the burial.
  • Described killing Richard first (hammer blows), then Laura (also with hammer), then later Nick after sharing weed and pizza.
  • Kids were present during the week he stayed in the house with the decomposing bodies.
  • Attempted to mask decomposition smell with bleach and air fresheners; threw paint over the bodies.
  • Drove straight to Ohio with the kids before Christmas Eve.
  • Told detectives he kept putting off the murders but ultimately did it to avoid getting caught and to prevent the kids from going to their grandparents.
  • Asked police if he could see his kids again before being taken to Florida — denied.

DAY 3 – 7/18/25

• VIDEO: FL v. Shelby Nealy, Day 3 | In-Law Massacre Sentencing
• Renee Split, the adult daughter and sister of victims Richard, Laura, Nicholas and Jamie Ivancic, delivered emotional victim impact testimony, which included a moving slideshow of family photos that showed victims Nick and Jane as children through their early adult years
  • WATCH: Ivancic Victims’ Daughter/Sister: ‘We Have Been Irreparably Shattered’
• Pasco County Sgt. Joseph Schlotter testified about the discovery of Jamie Ivancic’s body in the backyard of the Port Richey home where she and her husband briefly lived from late 2017 to early 2018. No one knew she was dead until the defendant confessed to killing her after his arrest in Ohio (where he lived) for the deaths of his in-laws.
  • WATCH: Deputy Recalls Finding Jamie Ivancic’s Body Buried in Nealy’s Backyard
• Assistant Case Agent Lara Scarpati described how efforts to find Laura Ivancic’s missing car led investigators to the defendant in Ohio. Scarpati went to Ohio with another detective to arrest Nealy. She participated in the search of his home, where investigators found stolen items from the Ivancic home, including Richard’s coin collection and revolver. They also found a weighted vest that Nealy allegedly said was supposed to help him bulk up so he could return to Ohio and finish the job of burying his in-laws.
  • On cross, Scarpati agreed with the defense that Nealy’s cooperation with law enforcement led to Jamie’s body and a quick resolution in the triple-murder investigation of the Ivancic family.
• Associate medical examiner Dr. Susan Ignacio testified to the results of the victims’ autopsies, finding that all of them – including Jamie Ivancic – died from blunt head trauma in a manner consistent with homicide.
• WATCH: Judge: ‘It’s Always Dangerous to Watch Yourself on Court TV’

DAY 2 – 7/17/25

• VIDEO: FL v. Shelby Nealy, Day 2 | In-Law Massacre Sentencing
• The youngest son (and stepson) of victims Richard and Laura Ivancic testified about the impact of their loss (victim impact evidence), saying their deaths “created a ripple effect of pain and trauma” for his family.
• Prosecutors gave the jury a deep and disturbing look inside the mobile home where Nealy beat his in-laws to death with a hammer in December 2018.
• The first officer onsite who responded to a welfare check request, Tarpon Springs Police Officer Robert Rondos described being confronted with the strong odor of decomposition as he approached the home and insects buzzing inside the windows.
  • Upon entering, Rondos said found the home “ransacked” in complete disarray. He found Richard’s body in the master bedroom, Laura’s body in the bathrooms and Nicks body in another bedroom. Their faces were doused with paint and their bodies were concealed under different types of coverings.
  • WATCH: In-Law Massacre: Officer Describes Crime Scene As Being Like ‘Horror Movie’
  • Bottles of bleach and Pine Sol were sitting on a bed in the room where Nick’s body was found. Nealy’s bleach-stained “Punisher”-logo shirt was found in the washing machine.
• The jury saw photos and video of the home’s bloodstained walls and furniture – including a couch and curio cabinet — from Nealy bashing in their heads.
  • WATCH: Forensics Expert Describes Photos of In-Law Massacre Crime Scene
  • Portions of the walls were covered with paint from Nealy trying to cover up the blood. Investigators found a can of white spray paint along with opened cans of paint that prosecutors said Nealy admitted to using to cover the walls and the victims’ faces.
  • The jury also saw images of the would-be grave that Nealy dug for the victims but never used. The prosecutor said in openings that Nealy planned to bury his in-laws in their yard — just as he buried evidence of wife Jamie’s death – but changed plans when he could not physically lift his father-in-law. He went back to Ohio with plans to “work out” until he was strong enough to return to Florida and move the remains, hoping the bodies would get “lighter” through decomposition.
• Prosecutors repeatedly drew the jury’s attention to Covid-style respirator masks that were found among the trash – more evidence that prosecutors say point to Nealy’s efforts to conceal his crimes.
• The hammer believed to have been used in the attacks was found in the master bedroom near Richard Ivancic’s body and a blood-stained turtle toy.
• Investigators found garbage strewn about the home – discarded food containers, children’s toys and diapers among pizza boxes and receipts that were used to piece together a timeline of the defendant’s movements.
• A receipt for a December 18, 2018, Home Depot purchase was used to track down surveillance video of the defendant shopping for tape, tarp and rope, items that were found in the house and near the victims’ bodies. The video shows the defendant pushing a shopping cart carrying his two young children.
• Investigators found a Domino’s pizza box with a receipt attached to it that prosecutors said Nealy ordered for him and Nicholas before he killed Nicholas.
• The couple’s closets and bedroom drawers were emptied of personal items. They were later found in trash bags in a car registered to Jamie Ivancic — the defendant’s wife who he confessed to killing months earlier. The defendant used Jamie’s car to drive to his in-laws home then left it there when he fled back to his home in Ohio.
• Among the items found in the trash bags and elsewhere in the car:
  • The victims’ driver licenses, social security cards, passports and various financial statements
  • Family photos, Richard’s coin collection, Precious Moments figurines from the curio cabinet
  • Bloody pillow from the crime scene
  • Nealy’s name badge from the Denny’s restaurant where he worked

DAY 1 – 7/16/25

• VIDEO: FL v. Shelby Nealy, Day 1 | In-Law Massacre Sentencing
• Richard Ivancic, Jr. — victim Richard Ivancic’s oldest son from his first marriage – paused for composure and took deep breaths as he delivered victim impact evidence about the loss of his parents in December 2018.
  • Richard Ivancic, Jr. also served as a fact witness, describing his last conversation with his father to wish him a happy 71^st birthday three days before he was killed. He testified that he became concerned when his father did not respond to texts of family photos and phone calls over the holidays and contacted law enforcement for a welfare check.
  • WATCH: In-Law Massacre Sentencing: Victims’ Eldest Son Recalls Final Message From Dad
  • MORE: Son testifies in triple murder case: ‘They were taken away by him’
• Debera Lafferton — a neighbor of the Ivancics at the Meadows mobile home park – testified to seeing the defendant digging a trench outside the Ivancic home in mid-December. She recalled presciently telling a friend at the time that it looked like he was digging a grave.
  • WATCH: Neighbor Says She Saw Shelby Nealy Digging Grave
• Another neighbor, Donna Godsey, also testified to seeing the defendant digging a trench the length of a sidewalk.”
• The defense reserved its opening until the end of the state’s case.
• Prosecutor Bryan Sarabia delivered the state’s opening, reminding the jury that the sole issue for them to decide is the defendant’s penalty. Sarabia said the evidence would prove four aggravating factors:
  • WATCH: In-Law Massacre Sentencing: Prosecution Opening Statement
  • Sarabia walked through a timeline tracking the Ivancic family’s roots in Ohio – Richard’s first marriage; his second marriage to Laura; Richard and Laura’s adoption of foster children Jamie and Nicholas; Nicholas befriending the defendant through work introducing him to his sister, whom he married and had two children – to the murders, giving a literal blow-by-blow account of their bludgeoning deaths.
  • Sarabia told the jury the defendant killed his mother- and father-in-law to conceal the killing of wife Jamie (to which he pleaded guilty to manslaughter) after months of using Jamie’s phone to trick them into thinking she was alive. Nealy then killed his friend, Nick Ivancic, after one final hang with him of watching television, smoking marijuana, drinking and ordering pizza.
  • The prosecutor said Nealy planned to bury his in-laws in their yard — just as he buried evidence of wife Jamie’s death – but changed plans when he could not physically lift his father-in-law. He went back to Ohio with plans to “work out” until he was strong enough to return to Florida and move the remains, hoping the bodies would get “lighter” through decomposition.

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