Oklahoma detective found guilty of murdering his police chief in Pensacola Beach hotel

A former Oklahoma police detective was convicted Wednesday of killing his chief of police in a Pensacola Beach hotel room.

Michael Patrick Nealey, 50, was found guilty of second-degree murder in connection to the Nov. 10, 2019, death of Mannford (Oklahoma) Chief of Police Lucky Miller.

Nealey and Miller had traveled from Oklahoma to Pensacola to attend a law enforcement conference on death investigations that was being held at the Hilton Pensacola Beach hotel on Via De Luna Drive.

After multiple noise complaints, a security guard entered the room and found Nealey sitting on top of Miller. The pair were found between the bed and the wall, and Miller was on his back with Nealey sitting on his chest and head area. Miller was later pronounced deceased.

Almost 17 months later, after a lengthy delay because of COVID closures, the trial began Monday when a jury was selected. Testimonies began Tuesday morning and the jury entered deliberations at noon on Wednesday before reaching their verdict about two hours later.

Day 1: Trial begins for detective accused of murdering his police chief in Pensacola Beach hotel

Original story: Oklahoma police chief killed: Report says maintenance man walked into murder scene

Assistant State Attorney Trey Myers argued in his opening statement that Nealey hit and suffocated Miller to death.

“Lucky Miller died from a combination of blunt-force trauma and asphyxiation,” Myers told the jury.

Forensic pathologist Dr. Aurelian Nicolaescu testified Tuesday that Miller had sustained about five blunt-force traumatic injuries to his head before death and that his body showed signs of strangulation and smothering with discoloration of the face, bleeding of the eyes and injured neck muscles.

Nealey’s defense attorney, Gene Mitchell, attacked the credibility of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office detective who led the investigation into the case and pointed to what he argued were holes in the state’s case.

The two men checked into one of the hotel’s two-bed suites in Room 527.

After receiving multiple noise complaints from guests staying in adjacent rooms, a security guard entered Room 527 about 9:30 p.m. and saw Nealey sitting on Miller's chest and head. Miller was unconscious.

At the time of his death, Miller’s blood alcohol level had been .334 — more than four times Florida’s legal limit to drive. Later that night, Nealey gave a blood sample at Sacred Heart Hospital and his blood alcohol level was shown to have been .294.

On Tuesday, jurors heard testimony from multiple hotel guests who had been staying in adjacent rooms to 527 on the night Miller died.

Miranda Eubanks testified that she had heard a “roaring, animalist — not natural” noise come from Room 527 that night, she said.

James Ransom, another witness, testified about hearing what sound like “drunken foolishness.”

And a third witness, Charles Brown, testified about hearing a thud in Room 527 followed by someone saying “Stop it Mike.”

But in his opening statement, Mitchell argued that none of the noises were sounds of “violence.”

After Nealey opted not to take the stand in his own defense, Mitchell offered the jury a hypothetical scenario of Miller's death — an alternative to the idea of murder.

The defense attorney said it was a reasonable idea to think that Miller’s death, possibly, could have been a drunken accident — without the incriminating factors of ill will, hatred or evil intent.

“A reasonable hypothesis of innocence that cannot be eliminated — cannot be eliminated— from this tragedy, is that Mr. Nealey went on a conference trip in Florida on Pensacola Beach with his partner and friend,” Mitchell said. “The two men were drinking and watching a football game, having a good time, engaged in ‘drunken foolishness’ — evidence presented to you — and at some point in the night they both got very, very drunk in their hotel room."

Mitchell offered, “Mr. Miller made his way over to Mr. Nealey’s sleeping area, and somehow, in this drunken state, the two men rolled off Mr. Nealey’s bed.”

The defense attorney suggested that his client drunkenly fell on top of Miller and that the pressure of Nealey's fallen weight is what maybe resulted in Miller's death.

In his own closing statement, the prosecutor argued that the evidence was clear that Nealey was murdered.

“‘Stop. Stop. If you don’t stop it, when we get home I am going to fire you. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it,’” Myers said, quoting witness testimony. “These were the last pleas of Lucky Miller on Nov. 10, 2019. Chief Miller’s life was taken by the hands of his detective Michael Nealey.”

The prosecutor reminded jurors that the state does not have to prove a motive to prove a suspect's guilt.

“It’s impossible to get inside the mind of a man who was here for a law enforcement homicide conference who has had half a gallon of vodka to drink and to understand his thoughts,” Myers said.

Miller faces a possible maximum sentence of life in prison, and Circuit Judge Thomas Dannheisser scheduled his sentencing hearing for 1 p.m. on April 29.

Colin Warren-Hicks can be reached at colinwarrenhicks@pnj.com or 850-435-8680.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Michael Nealey case: Oklahoma detective found guilty of murder