W4460500

On June 14, 1998, Melissa Vanover shot and killed her boyfriend, Michael Nieman, as he slept. After killing Nieman, Vanover and four others stole more than three hundred thousand dollars in cash found in Nieman’s safe, a multitude of jewelry, several pounds of marijuana, as well as guns and knives. The group then went to another location and Vanover divided the money, jewelry, and marijuana.

Vanover, a single mother of four children, worked as an exotic dancer in Northern Kentucky when she met Nieman. Nieman bought Vanover hundred-dollar drinks, brought her flowers at work, and gave her a nugget diamond ring. Nieman told Vanover he was a jeweler. Nieman began giving Vanover more and more jewelry, paid her children’s babysitter, bought clothes for Vanover and her children, and paid whatever bills Vanover had. Nieman took Vanover to dinner and a casino nearly every night, and gave her up to five thousand dollars to spend gambling. Nieman provided Vanover a steady supply of about five hundred dollars to have on hand. Nieman rented Vanover an apartment and paid for all of the furnishings. Vanover eventually began working less and spending more time doing things for Nieman, such as cleaning his house and running errands for him. Vanover spent only a few hours of each day with her children. Vanover characterized her relationship with Nieman as “really sweet” and “good.”

Vanover testified that the relationship later became volatile. Nieman screamed and cursed at her, and hit her with a table. Nieman kept a lot of guns at his home and scared Vanover by shooting toward her while in the house. Vanover testified that Nieman shocked her twice using a stun-type gun. She testified that she was afraid of Nieman while on a trip to Arizona, where he yelled at her, pulled her hair, and scraped her arm with a knife. She testified that Nieman showed her some property and told her he could kill someone and bury the body there without being caught. Vanover also testified that Nieman told her he previously had been a hit man, had beat people up for hire, and had killed people. Vanover claimed that she told her sister that she was afraid of Nieman, but that she had never expressed that fear to anyone else.
During her relationship with Nieman, Vanover began a sexual relationship with another man, Kevin Green (“Kevin”). Vanover met Kevin and his family when she lived next door to them, about three months before Nieman’s murder. Brenda Green (“Mrs. Green”), Kevin’s mother, occasionally babysat Vanover’s children. Kevin’s twelve-year-old sister, Melanie, became very good friends with Vanover. Vanover and Kevin often spent time with Kevin’s brother, John Green, Jr. (“John Jr.”) and his girlfriend, Angela Armacost (“Armacost”), going to clubs or smoking marijuana at the Green home. Vanover also became acquainted with John Green, Sr. (“John Sr.”), Kevin’s father, during this time.

In the few months before she killed Nieman, Vanover told Armacost about her relationship with Nieman and said that “she’d like to rob him and have all of his money because he had a lot of money.” Vanover told Armacost that Nieman had a lot of jewelry, and that she was allowed to wear the jewelry but not keep it. Vanover talked to John Jr. about stealing Nieman’s money just two weeks before his murder.
On the day Nieman was killed, Vanover took Melanie Green to a picnic and birthday party for Vanover’s nephew. Vanover testified that at the picnic she was upset because she had lost custody of her children, and she took Valiums given to her by Nieman. After the picnic, Nieman drove Vanover and Melanie to the home of Vanover’s sister, Danita. At Danita’s, Vanover asked Melanie to call Kevin and tell him that Vanover loved him, and that she had taken seven Valiums. Melanie called Kevin as requested, then handed the phone to Vanover. When Nieman came into the room and asked Vanover to whom she was talking, Vanover replied that it was Mrs. Green. After the call ended, Vanover began talking to Danita, who had sent Melanie into another room. From there, Melanie “heard [Vanover] say that she was going to do something with [Nieman] in the room when he was turned around taking his clothes off changing into his nightclothes.” Later that evening after Nieman and Vanover drove Melanie home, Melanie was with Mrs. Green and began crying. Melanie told her mother, “[Vanover] is going to do her plan. * * * [Vanover] said she’s going to do her plan, that she’s going to rob [Nieman].”

Vanover claimed as follows in her testimony: During the car ride from Danita’s to the Green home she was upset about her children being away from her, and that Nieman kept telling her to shut up. When the couple got back to Nieman’s house, Nieman went in while Vanover sat in the car in an effort to calm down. When Vanover went into the house, Nieman had the TV on and was getting undressed. Still crying, she listened to music and smoked a cigarette. Vanover went into Nieman’s bedroom and got onto the bed, telling him that she was upset about her children. The talk escalated into an argument and Vanover became angry because Nieman called her children and their dad, who is African American, “niggers.” During the argument, Nieman accidentally hit Vanover on the nose, causing her to bleed slightly. Nieman began yelling at Vanover to get off the bed so she would not get blood on the comforter. Nieman threatened to kill the father of Vanover’s children.

Vanover testified that Nieman called her names, and she saw him reach toward his headboard where she claimed he kept a gun at night. She said that the thought Nieman was reaching for a gun in order to shoot her. When she saw him reach for the headboard, she reached for a loaded gun that was kept under his bed. Vanover climbed into bed with Nieman, pulled a sheet over herself to protect her from blood spatters, and shot Nieman in the back at close range.
After the first shot, Nieman said, “What are you doing? Oh, my God, you’re killing me. I thought you loved me,” and Vanover shot him at least two more times, killing him. After killing Nieman, Vanover called Kevin and told him that she “did it,” that she “killed [Nieman],” and claimed to be suicidal. Kevin, John Jr., and Armacost piled into Armacost’s Dodge Omni and drove to Nieman’s home. As the trio arrived at Nieman’s home, John Sr. also arrived. Kevin, John Jr., and John Sr., entered Nieman’s home, while Armacost waited outside near her car.

Nieman was a jeweler who operated his business out of his home and kept his money and valuables in a safe in his living room. Once inside his home, Vanover directed the Green sons to take certain items, and Vanover and Kevin filled a black gym back with more than three hundred thousand dollars in cash found in Nieman’s safe and a multitude of jewelry. In addition, John Jr. took several pounds of marijuana out of Nieman’s freezer. Nieman was an avid gun and knife collector. The group rounded up most of his guns and some knives and put them into Mr. Green’s vehicle.
            Armacost waited outside a while then entered Nieman’s home, where she saw Nieman’s legs then Nieman himself, lying dead on his bed, his sheets soaked in blood, his eyes open, partially covered with a sheet. Armacost went back to her car and John Jr. followed, carrying the marijuana on his person and placing the black bag filled with cash and jewelry in the back of Armacost’s car. The two went back to the Green residence. Vanover and Kevin rode back to the Green home in John Sr.’s car, which was filled with guns from Nieman’s collection. Back at the Green residence, Vanover, Kevin, John Jr., Armacost and John Sr. went to the basement and Vanover spread out the loot from Nieman’s home. Vanover divided the cash, giving ten thousand dollars each to John Jr. and Armacost, and a large amount to John Sr. Additionally, John Jr., John Sr., Armacost and Kevin each received jewelry. It was understood among the group that whatever cash and jewelry remained belonged to Vanover. John Sr. took all of the guns to his brother's home in Amelia.

Vanover wanted to leave the Green’s home and suggested a hotel. Armacost drove Vanover and Kevin to a Red Roof Inn, where John Jr. paid in advance for a room for two nights. Armacost and John Jr. went back to Armacost’s house, leaving Vanover and Kevin at the hotel with the black bag. Vanover and Kevin emptied the bag, spread the money out on a bed, and had sex on the money. The next day, John Jr. and Armacost returned with food for Vanover and Kevin. While they were there, Vanover reenacted the murder for her friends, demonstrating how she snuck into Nieman’s bed and shot him.
The four left the hotel, again in Armacost’s car, and were stopped by Blue Ash police for a traffic violation. After obtaining identification from Armacost and John Jr., who rode in the front passenger seat, police arrested John Jr. on an outstanding warrant. Police removed Vanover and Kevin from the back seat and searched the vehicle with Armacost’s consent. When police opened the trunk and found the black bag filled with cash and jewelry, each of the passengers denied ownership of the bag. Police then arrested Vanover, Kevin and Angela and transported them to the Blue Ash Police Department. There, Armacost and John Jr. made statements to the police that implicated Vanover in Nieman’s murder. Kevin later gave a taped statement at the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department.

           After a jury trial, Vanover was convicted of aggravated murder with specifications and theft. Her convictions were affirmed on appeal.

           Even if the best presumption possible—that Neiman was actually violent towards her—is taken as true, Vanover’s murder still stands out as shockingly cold, callous, and calculated. She told people what she planned to do and then did it. And then instead of feeling any remorse, she celebrated by spreading Neiman’s money across a bed and having sex on it.

           Vanover’s crime has earned her life sentence. She should not be granted any type of release.

Public Hearing Comments