PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — A sentencing hearing for a man accused of murdering his ex-wife and in-laws starts today in Pinellas County.
Jury selection for the trial of Shelby Nealy will take place at the County Justice Center. In 2023, Nealy pleaded guilty to killing his ex-wife, Jamie Ivancic, and members of her family.
Nealy was arrested in Ohio in 2019 after police caught him with a car stolen from a Tarpon Springs home, where the bodies of Nealy's in-laws and three dogs were discovered on New Year's Day.
Less than a week later, a fourth body connected to the case was found near a Port Richey home. Investigators later identified the remains as Jamie.
During the investigation, officials learned that after Nealy killed Jamie, 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 Jamie's father, Richard Louis Ivancic, mother, Laura Ann Ivancic, and brother, Nicholas James Ivancic.
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. Jurors will be able to recommend life or the death penalty for the murders of her family.
In 2023, Florida legislation passed that lowered the jury requirement for death sentences from unanimous to a simple majority of 8 out of 12 jurors. Florida currently leads the nation in executions this year.
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