Shelby Nealy sentencing trial: Defense testimony resumes Thursday in death penalty case
CLEARWATER, Fla. - Attorneys for Shelby Nealy will continue calling witnesses on Thursday as the defense works to avoid a death sentence for the murders of his wife's parents and brother, which took place nearly a year after Nealy killed his wife.
The backstory:
Nealy is already serving a 30-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to manslaughter for killing his wife, Jamie Ivancic, 21, in Pasco County in January 2018.
Pictured: Jamie Ivancic.
In December 2018, he went to Jamie's parents' home in Tarpon Springs and killed her parents, Richard and Laura Ivancic, along with Jamie's brother, Nick.
Their bodies were found about two weeks later, and investigators arrested Nealy in Ohio in January 2019.
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In late 2023, Nealy pleaded guilty in Pinellas County to three counts of first-degree murder, along with three counts of aggravated animal cruelty for killing the family's dogs.
What they're saying:
On Wednesday, Nealy's attorneys called several law enforcement officers, from Florida to Ohio, to the stand.
These officers testified about previous incidents they responded to involving Nealy and Jamie – including one in Palm Beach County in 2015 during which a now-retired detective said Jamie was threatening to hurt herself.
"She was out of control and uncooperative with me," Tammy Fox, a retired deputy with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, said while reading her report from the incident.
Shelby Nealy sentencing trial: Jurors hear details of murders in Day 4 of testimony
Fox said she Baker Acted Jamie as a result of that incident because she felt that Jamie would be a harm to herself or others if she didn't get treatment.
Sgt. Dale Carlton with the Broadview Heights Police Department in Ohio also testified, saying he was called to an incident involving Nealy and Jamie in 2016, where he heard the couple arguing.
"Do you have it noted in your report that he was telling her to calm down?" the defense said. "'He told me that later,'" Sgt. Dale Carlton said.
Pictured: Shelby Nealy in court during his sentencing trial.
The sergeant also told state prosecutors that, according to his report of the incident, Jamie said that she'd been beaten by Nealy for the last year.
One of Nealy's former attorneys, Maria DeLiberato, also took the stand and told jurors she has stayed in close contact with Nealy.
The state pointed out that DeLiberato is also the Executive Director of Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty.
"It's actually kind of a crusade of yours to stop Florida from executing murders, right?" state prosecutor Bryan Sarabia said. "That is true," DeLiberato said.
Dig deeper:
The state rested its case Tuesday after jurors saw Nealy's interview with Tarpon Springs Police Sgt. Derek Anderson, recorded in Ohio in January 2019.
In that interview, Nealy talked about killing his wife and leaving her in the bathtub for three days before wrapping her body in a blanket and burying her in the backyard.
Nealy admitted to the detective that he was a "monster to a degree," but was concerned about his children's future, especially if he was to end up on death row.
Pictured: Shelby Nealy's interview with a detective in January 2019.
What's next:
The defense is expected to begin calling its final witnesses Thursday morning.
The Source: This story was written using information from testimony at Shelby Nealy's sentencing trial in Pinellas County, Florida, with additional details from previous FOX 13 News reports.