Florida man kills in-laws after posing as their murdered daughter for a year, cops say

After posing as their murdered daughter for a year in text messages, one Florida man then killed his in-laws, police say.

Police say 25-year-old John Shelby Nealy confessed to killing his 21-year-old wife, Jamie Ivancic, last January — and then pretending to be her in text messages to her parents, according to WFLA.

But over time, the slain woman’s parents grew “suspicious” and concerned for their daughter’s health, WFLA reported.

So on Dec. 15, Nealy killed Jamie’s parents, identified as 59-year-old Laura Ivancic and 71-year-old Richard Ivancic, along with her 25-year-old brother, Nicholas Ivancic, police say, according to The Tampa Bay Times. It was at a home in Tarpon Springs.

Police say the man killed all three family members with a hammer — and also killed their three dogs, according to ABC Action News. Surveillance footage at a nearby store showed Nealy selling off some of the family’s jewelry, according to police.

Six days after killing his in-laws, Nealy ordered pizza to the slain family’s home, police say, according to WFLA.

Police say he also drove his young children to Ohio in Laura’s stolen car, according to The Tampa Bay Times. They were “unharmed.”

It wouldn’t be until New Year’s Day when police would discover the triple homicide, as reported by The Tampa Bay Times. Police say they conducted a welfare check at the home after receiving a call from Richard Ivancic’s worried son — and found a “ransacked” home with a “strong odor of body decomposition.”

Authorities used Laura’s stolen car to track down and arrest Nealy in Ohio, reported ABC Action News. Police say the murder suspect helped law enforcement find the body of his deceased wife at a home in Pasco County, Florida, after his arrest.

Nealy faces charges of first-degree murder, grand theft auto and aggravated cruelty to animals, according to WFLA.

This story was originally published February 4, 2019 at 9:39 AM.