PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (Court TV/Scripps News Tampa Bay) — A sentencing date was set for Shelby Nealy following 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.
Shelby Nealy appears in court during his Spencer hearing on Dec. 9, 2025. (Court TV)
Richard and Laura were the parents of Nealy’s wife, Jamie Ivancic. Nicholas was her brother.
MORE | FL v. Shelby Nealy: In-Law Massacre Sentencing
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 were a Spencer hearing, which is required by Florida law. Nealy’s defense presented testimony from Dr. Joseph Woo, who examined images of Nealy’s brain. Woo discussed Nealy’s propensity for violence because of previous trauma.
Prosecutors presented a brief clip of Nealy’s police interrogation, in which he described the murders.
Nealy’s sentencing is scheduled for April 10, where the judge can adhere to the jury’s recommendation of death or opt to give Nealy life without parole.
