An Ohio woman is facing life in prison in connection with the slaying of her husband, whom she ambushed and injected with a fatal dose of animal tranquilizer during a 2022 custody exchange.
Amanda Hovanec, 38, appeared in Auglaize County Court of Common Pleas last month and pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated murder over the death of 36-year-old Timothy Hovanec, according to court records obtained by Law & Crime.
Amanda Hovanec is already serving 40 years in a federal prison after pleading guilty to multiple felonies, including distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death. During her federal sentencing hearing, Amanda Hovanec told the court that her husband's murder came down "to me being selfish."
Amanda Hovanec Killed After Court Granted Him Custody of the Children
Amanda Hovanec filed for divorce from Timothy Hovanec in 2020 after the couple moved to the U.S. from South Africa, where he worked as a researcher for the U.S. State Department. While they were in South Africa, Amanda Hovanec developed a relationship with a South African citizen named Anthony Theodorou.
After the divorce, Amanda Hovanec denied her ex "visitation with their children despite a court order to permit it," federal prosecutors previously said.
However, just two days before the murder, a judge ordered the husband be given two-day custody of the kids and that he remain "the residential parent of custody and legal custodian of the children for the summer, beginning on May 28, 2022 until August 5, 2022."
Timothy's Dashcam Captured the Moment Amanda Sneaked Up Behind Him and Injected Him with M-99
Amanda Hovanec then devised the plan to inject him with M-99, a drug known to be a thousand times more potent than morphine, which prosecutors said is "used in veterinary medicine for zoo and wildlife anesthesia."
The victim was "unloading the children's car seats from his car" when Amanda Hovanec sneaked up and injected him with the drug. The attack was recorded by the victim's dashcam.
Moments after being injected, video footage captured Amanda Hovanec pulling on her husband's shirt as he tried to use his cellphone. A struggle ensued and Amanda Hovanec knocked the phone out of his hand and brought him to the ground. She then held him down until his body went limp and he became unresponsive.
"Hovanec stood up, picked up her husband's cellphone, removed his smart watch, and turned off his vehicle's engine, at which point the dash camera stopped recording," the release noted.
Theodorou and Amanda's Mother were Also Involved in the Murder
The tranquilizer was shipped to Amanda Hovanec just one month earlier by Theodorou, who admittedly dug a shallow grave the day before the slaying.
From there, Amanda Hovanec "put a plastic bag over [Timothy Hovanec's] head and body because she was concerned about fluids secreting from [Timothy Hovanec's] body" before she dumped the victim's remains with the help of Theodorou and her mother, Anita Green.
While Amanda Hovanec initially claimed that her husband simply left after dropping off the children, she confessed when confronted with the video evidence, the feds said.
"Amanda admitted she injected [Timothy Hovanec] in the shoulder while they were standing next to his vehicle after he dropped off the children," a federal affidavit said. "Amanda was not able to name what she injected [Timothy Hovanec] with but referred to it as 'poison' or 'drug.' Amanda understood that the drug would kill him within minutes."
Amanda Hovanec Faces Mandatory Life Sentence Without Parole
A date for Amanda Hovanec's sentencing hearing had not been set as of Monday. However, under Ohio law, she will face a mandatory sentence of life in a state correctional facility without the chance for parole.
Theodorou and Anita Green, have also been convicted of federal crimes in connection to Timothy Hovanec's murder and are awaiting trial in state court. The pair is still facing state charges for complicity to aggravated murder. They have a pretrial hearing scheduled for March 13.
