An Ohio woman has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for injecting her husband with a lethal po!son during a child custody exchange in 2022. Federal authorities reported that the po!son k!lled him within minutes.
37-year-old Amanda Hovanec pleaded guilty to several charges, including distributing a controlled substance that led to the death of her husband, Timothy, with whom she had three children. The sentencing was announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio on Tuesday, October 1.
The incident occurred on April 24, 2022, when Timothy dropped off their daughters at Hovanec’s home in Wapakoneta, Ohio. The attack was recorded on dash camera footage retrieved from Timothy’s abandoned vehicle in Dayton, where he had been reported missing after failing to check out of his hotel.
In the video, Hovanec and her mother, Anita Green, are seen waiting outside. Hovanec approaches Timothy’s car and tells the children, “I have a surprise for you inside,” before they enter the home with Green. Moments later, Timothy is heard questioning Hovanec’s actions, saying, “What the heck are you doing? Did you just assault me?” and pleading, “Get away from me… Get off of me.” The footage shows Hovanec pulling at his shirt, ultimately knocking his phone from his hand.
“She then pulled him down, holding him around the neck until he became unresponsive and collapsed on the driveway,” the statement detailed. Afterward, Hovanec was seen picking up his phone, removing his smartwatch, and shutting off his vehicle’s engine as the recording ended.
Hovanec admitted to injecting Timothy with M-99, or Etorphine, a potent controlled substance primarily used in veterinary settings. She also confessed to disposing of his car and burying his body in a wooded area nearby.
The motive behind the m*rder stemmed from a long-standing custody dispute. Hovanec had filed for divorce in 2020 after returning to the U.S. from South Africa, where she had lived for her husband’s job. During their separation, she began to deny Timothy visitation rights, despite court orders, leading to legal tensions.
Hovanec had contemplated k!lling her husband for over a year, considering various methods before deciding on the injection. She obtained the po!son through Anthony Theodorou, a South African citizen who was present in Ohio at the time and assisted in disposing of Timothy’s body.
Green, who was aware of the m*rder plan, was charged as an accessory after the fact for helping transport Timothy’s body to the pre-dug grave site.
U.S. Attorney Rebecca Lutzko condemned Hovanec’s actions as “cold-blooded, calculated, and cruel,” emphasizing her disregard for the impact on their children.
In addition to her 40-year prison sentence, Hovanec was ordered to serve 10 years of supervised release and pay over $2 million in restitution. Green received a 10-year sentence and two years of supervised release. Theodorou is scheduled to be sentenced on October 3.