On Wednesday, March 31, 2021, a Florida jury found Mike Nealey, a former Mannford police officer, guilty of second degree murder.
Nealey was charged, in November 2019, in the alleged death of then Mannford Police Chief Lucky Miller. The two were not only good friends but at the time of Miller's death, were attending a training conference in Pensacola, Florida together. Both men were alleged to have been intoxicated when an altercation broke out, ending in Chief Miller's death and Nealey being arrested for that death.
Nealey's trial began on Tuesday, March 30. Witnesses, who were staying at the hotel in the room next to Miller and Nealey's gave testimony that they heard loud noises, including roars and laughter coming from the room next door. It would quieten down and start again. This is what led them to call security and when they opened the hotel room door, they found Nealey over Miller's body. Miller did not appear to be breathing. The medical examiner testified that Miller died of blunt force trauma to the head and asphyxia by strangulation.
The trial had been postponed for months due to the pandemic, but it didn't take long for the jury to reach a verdict of guilty. The trial began on Tuesday and ended with a verdict on Wednesday. Nealey did take the stand in his own defense. Sentencing should take place before the end of April.