A Pennsylvania landlord who admitted to attacking his tenant, who later died from his injuries, has been sentenced to prison for murder.
Zachary Neiman, 37, pleaded no contest to third-degree murder in connection with the 2023 death of 42-year-old Michael Byers. Neiman, who rented an apartment on his property to Byers, was sentenced on October 27 to 8 to 16 years behind bars. As part of a plea deal, a charge of involuntary manslaughter was dropped.
The tragic incident unfolded on the night of April 29, 2023, when Neiman and Byers were drinking at a firepit on Neiman’s property. According to Northern York County Regional Police, neighbors overheard the two men arguing. Soon after, neighbors said Neiman admitted to assaulting Byers, reportedly telling them, “I just beat the s— out of Mike,” according to court documents obtained by ABC affiliate WHTM.
Neighbors told police the altercation continued, with Byers being assaulted around 10 p.m. that evening. The next morning, Neiman called 911 after finding Byers dead outside the home, wearing only shorts and covered in mud. First responders arrived to find Neiman performing chest compressions, but Byers was already cold to the touch. Neiman told police he could not recall what happened the night before due to how much he had been drinking and said he had gone to bed around 11:30 p.m.
An autopsy later revealed Byers’ cause of death as blunt-force injuries complicated by ethanol intoxication.
Neiman was originally charged in November 2023 with third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter, and his sentencing marks the conclusion of a case that shocked the local community.
Anger the destruction of fools