Background: Pigeon Hill Road in Jackson Township, Pa. (Google Maps). Inset (left): Zachary Neiman (Northern York County Regional Police Department). Inset (right): Michael Byers (Feiser Funeral Home).
A Pennsylvania landlord has been sentenced for murder after admitting to assaulting a tenant who later succumbed to his injuries.
Zachary Neiman, aged 37, entered a plea of no contest to third-degree murder in the case involving the death of Michael Byers, 42, in 2023. On October 27, Neiman was handed a prison sentence ranging from 8 to 16 years. As part of his plea agreement, the charge of involuntary manslaughter was dismissed.
Prior to the incident, Byers resided in a separate apartment on Neiman’s property. On the night of April 29, 2023, the two were socializing and drinking by a firepit on Neiman’s grounds. According to Northern York County Regional Police, neighbors overhead a heated exchange between the men. Following this, Neiman reportedly told them, as per court documents acquired by ABC affiliate WHTM, “I just beat the s— out of Mike.”
Witnesses informed police that after speaking with Neiman, they continued to hear him assaulting Byers, with the confrontation occurring around 10 p.m.
The following morning, Neiman dialed 911 upon finding Byers deceased outside, clad only in shorts and “covered in mud.” Court records indicate that first responders arrived to discover Neiman administering chest compressions to Byers, noting he was already cold. Neiman claimed he could not recall the events of the previous night due to excessive alcohol consumption.
He also mentioned to police that he went to sleep at 11:30 p.m.
An autopsy performed on Byers listed his cause of death as blunt-force injuries complicated by ethanol intoxication.
Neiman was charged in November 2023 with third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter.
