Four Idaho children have been reunited, in heaven that is, after a drowning accident claimed the life of one sibling and the other three were murdered at the hands of their father. Following an unfortunate drowning accident in a local irrigation ditch that claimed the life of 22-month-old Ian Michael Nice in May 2004, parents Leslie Olsen and Jim Junior Nice struggled to keep their marriage together. Olsen declined to reconcile their marriage and ultimately filed for divorce on March 17, 2005.
Jim Junior Nice
Statements from family members claimed that although Nice tried to reunite with his estranged wife, the stress of unresolved issues relating to the loss of their first child caused emotional conflicts that simply could not be overcome. Jim, distraught over the separation from his wife and the driving rift plaguing his family, fought for custody and visitation rights of his three remaining children; 6-year-old twins Justin and Spencer and 2-year-old Raquel.
On the morning of December 20, 2005, family members were concerned about Jim when he did not report to work nor was he responding to phone calls. Family members called the Twin Falls Police Department and requested that they perform a wellness check on Jim and the kids. Upon opening the door at 1831 4th Ave East, and asking Nice if everything was all right, police noticed the body of one of the children. After discovering the bodies of the other two children, police took Nice into custody for questioning. Police soon filed murder charges against Nice for the death of his three children. Autopsy reports later revealed that Nice had overdosed his children by putting sleeping pills in their pudding and hot chocolate. Two of the children also had rat poison in their systems.
Jim Junior Nice initially pled not guilty to all three charges of first-degree murder. However, Nice quickly changed his plea to guilty when it became apparent that the court would not change the insanity plea law. Idaho does not recognize the insanity plea and when a court appointed psychiatrist determines an individual is unable to understand the charges that have been filed, the court remands the individual to a state hospital until a different determination is made. Jim obviously did not want to spend his life in a mental facility and therefore, admitted to killing his children, claiming that he…
did not want the kids to suffer through the divorce.
According to court documents, the prosecutor initially filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty. However, as part of the plea agreement, the prosecutor dismissed the death penalty aspect. Nice is currently serving three consecutive life sentences for first degree murder, without the possibility of parole, in the Idaho Correctional Institution in Orofino, Idaho.
Ian Michael Nice was buried in Sunset Memorial cemetery in Twin Falls, Idaho; however, Justin, Spencer and Raquel had been buried in Mackay, Idaho near other family members. For this reason, Leslie petitioned to have Ian’s body moved to a plot next to his siblings in Mackay. In the end, the court granted permission for Olsen to move Ian so that the siblings could be together once again.