Sentencing phase underway for man who killed wife, in-laws
Opening statements begin Wednesday in sentencing phase for man who killed wife, in-laws
FOX 13's Kylie Jones reports.
CLEARWATER, Fla. - A convicted killer in Pinellas County is now facing the death penalty.
Shelby Nealy, 31, will be sentenced to life in prison without parole or the death penalty, after pleading guilty in 2023 to three counts of first-degree murder.
Mugshot for Shelby Nealy from 2019 (left) and photo of the suspect in 2023 court hearing.
On Wednesday, a jury was chosen and opening statements in the sentencing phase of Nealy's trial began.
The backstory:
Nealy has been serving a 30-year prison sentence since pleading guilty to manslaughter for killing his ex-wife, Jamie Ivancic, 21, in Pasco County in 2018.
Pictured: Jamie Ivancic.
Nealy pleaded guilty to the murders of his ex-wife's parents and brother in 2018.
Timeline:
Prosecutors say that in January 2018, Nealy strangled and beat Jamie to death, then buried her in the backyard of their Port Richey home.
For months, Nealy posed as Jamie, responding to texts and other messages on her phone so nobody would be suspicious.
Prosecutors say he took their two young children to Ohio and other states around the country over the course of 2018.
After months had gone by, Jamie's family became suspicious because they hadn't been able to speak to her and hear her voice.
Investigators say in December 2018, Nealy went to Jamie's parents' home in Tarpon Springs. Jamie's brother, Nick Ivancic, also spent a lot of time at their parents' house.
When her father, Richard Ivancic, was home alone, Nealy went into the home and brutally beat him with a hammer, then rolled his body up in a carpet and left him to die.
When Jamie's mother, Laura Ivancic, got home, Nealy beat her to death with the hammer, then rolled her body up in a carpet as well.
Eventually, Jamie's brother, Nick, arrived at the home where Nealy then beat him to death with a hammer.
Their bodies weren't discovered until about two weeks later, when law enforcement was called to do a welfare check at the home.
Nealy was arrested on January 3, 2019 in Ohio.
What they're saying:
"The defendant confesses chillingly, heartlessly, methodically, he describes his version of what he did and, to some degree, why he did it," a Pinellas County prosecutor said on Wednesday during the sentencing phase.
Nealy pleaded guilty to the three murders in 2023. He also pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated animal cruelty for killing the family's dogs.
PREVIOUS: Sentencing phase for man who killed ex-wife, in-laws begins Monday
On Wednesday, a jury heard the state's opening statement during the sentencing phase.
The jury will have to consider the possibility of several aggravating factors, including whether Nealy committed the crimes in order to avoid being arrested.
"In murdering Richard, the defendant was trying to avoid arrest for killing Jamie," the prosecutor said. "That in murdering Laura, the defendant was trying to avoid arrest for killing Jamie and Richard. And that in killing Nick, he was trying to avoid arrest for killing Jamie, Jamie, Laura and Richard."
The state also said that the murders were cold, calculated and pre-meditated.
The other side:
The defense reserved its opening statement, meaning the state will present its case first, then jurors will hear the defense's side.
What's next:
Jurors left at around 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
Testimony is expected to continue Thursday morning.
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The Source: This story was written with information from Pinellas County court records and previous FOX 13 News reports.