ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Shelby Nealy pleaded guilty Wednesday morning on multiple charges that he killed his ex-wife, three of her family members and their dogs.
The now 30-year-old was accused of those multiple crimes in early 2019. Jurors will determine as early as next fall whether he will spend the rest of his life in prison or receive a death sentence.
The body of his former wife, 21-year-old Jamie Ivancic, was found buried in a yard at a Port Richey home following a days-long investigation. It's believed she might have been dead for possibly a year. Pasco County investigators at the time of his arrest said Nealy admitted to killing her.
For months, investigators said, he pretended she was alive by sending text messages and photos of their two children to family members — he "tricked" them into thinking it was Ivancic who was sending the messages. Family members eventually became suspicious when they didn't hear her voice.
As they grew more concerned, Nealy intended to kill them, investigators alleged. Police said he, too, admitted to killing her father, Richard Louis Ivancic, 71; mother Laura Ann Ivancic, 51; and brother Nicholas James Ivancic, 25. They were found dead on New Year's Day in their Tarpon Springs home.
Police Maj. Jeff Young at the time identified the family's three dogs he said Nealy also killed: Bailey, Bloomer and Buddy — three Bichon Frisé mixed breeds.
After the murders, Nealy took Laura Ivanic's Kia and drove it to Ohio because the license tag on his wife's car was expired, investigators said. He reportedly told authorities he intended to return to the Tarpon Springs home to dispose of the bodies.
Nealy pleaded guilty in his ex-wife's death to a reduced charge of manslaughter with a weapon and was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
But in the Pinellas County cases involving the three family members, Nealy pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder. He could receive the death penalty for these crimes.
He also admitted guilt to three counts of aggravated cruelty to animals and was sentenced to five years in prison for each count.