PINELLAS CO., Fla. — The man who pleaded guilty to killing his wife and members of her family was sentenced to death on Friday.
A Pinellas County Judge gave 32-year-old Shelby Nealy the death penalty on April 10.
In 2023, 32-year-old Shelby Nealy pleaded guilty to killing his wife, Jamie Ivancic, Jamie's father, Richard Louis Ivancic, her mother, Laura Ann Ivancic, and her brother, Nicholas James Ivancic.
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.
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 July 2025, the jury in Nealy's sentencing trial recommended the death penalty with an 11-1 vote on all three first-degree murder charges.
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