Testimony continues in Shelby Nealy sentencing trial
Shelby Nealy sentencing trial continues
Testimony continued Thursday in the sentencing trial of Shelby Nealy, who faces the death penalty for killing his former in-laws in Pinellas County nearly a year after killing his ex-wife. Kylie Jones reports.
CLEARWATER, Fla. - Testimony continued Thursday in the sentencing trial of Shelby Nealy, who faces the death penalty for killing his former in-laws in Pinellas County nearly a year after killing his wife.
Shelby Nealy murder case
The backstory:
Nealy has been serving a 30-year prison sentence since pleading guilty to manslaughter for killing his wife, Jamie Ivancic, 21, in Pasco County in January 2018.
Prosecutors said Nealy strangled and beat Jamie to death, then buried her in the backyard of their Port Richey home.
Pictured: Jamie Ivancic.
According to investigators, Nealy posed as Jamie for months before her family became suspicious.
In December 2018, he went to Jamie's parents' home in Tarpon Springs. Jamie's brother, Nick Ivancic, also spent a lot of time at their parents' house.
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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 were found about two weeks later, and investigators arrested Nealy in Ohio in January 2019.
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.
Mugshot for Shelby Nealy from 2019 (left) and photo of the suspect in 2023 court hearing.
Sentencing phase
Big picture view:
On Thursday, multiple investigators testified, including a Tarpon Springs police officer and Pinellas County forensic science specialist. The officer described the moments he responded to the Ivancic's home after their other children requested a welfare check.
"As soon as I got close to the residence, I noticed an obvious odor of human decomposition," Officer Robert Rondos said.
Prosecutors showed the jury photos of the crime scene throughout the Ivancic's home, pointing to blood stains and paint splatter, which they said appeared to be an attempt to cover up the blood.
On Thursday afternoon, Mark Ivancic, the youngest on of Richard Ivancic Sr., took the stand and shared an emotional statement.
"The loss of my father, Laura and Nick has been devastating and has created a ripple effect of remaining trauma," Mark Ivancic said. "Watching my remaining siblings and other family members suffer, carrying grief they will never put down is heartbreaking beyond words, all because of him."
What they're saying:
On Wednesday, a jury heard the state's opening statement as the sentencing phase began.
"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.
Pictured: Shelby Nealy in court during his sentencing trial.
They also heard from two neighbors of Jamie's parents who testified about seeing Nealy outside the Ivancic's home. One former neighbor described seeing a man digging what she described as a grave outside the home.
"There was a young man outside the residence on two occasions," Debera Lafferton, a former neighbor said. "I saw him, and he was doing what looked like landscaping, but he was digging a trench."
She said she had never seen the man before, and that his two young children were the only other people she saw outside with him. Another neighbor also said she saw a man digging a trench outside the home.
Richard Ivancic's oldest son, from a previous marriage, also testified on Wednesday afternoon.
He shared an emotional statement about his father's brutal murder.
"They were innocent and loving parents and grandparents that had many more years in front of them,' Richard Ivancic Jr. said. "In fact, I was driving back from visiting my kids and granddaughter in South Carolina. I shared pictures of the trip with Dad and Laura, but never would have guessed that this was going to be the last time I talked to them. We will never get to see them again. It can only hold onto the memories that we shared along the journey of life before they were all taken away."
Richard Ivancic Sr. had four biological children from a previous marriage.
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:
The sentencing trial is expected to continue Friday morning at 10 a.m.
The Source: This story was written with information from Pinellas County Court records and previous FOX 13 news reports.