An Ohio woman, Amanda Hovanec, was sentenced to 40 years in prison for the murder of her husband, Timothy Hovanec, during a child custody exchange in 2022.
Amanda Hovanec, 37, was handed the sentence after pleading guilty to multiple charges which includes distributing a controlled substance that resulted in the death of her husband Timothy.
She was also ordered to serve 10 years of supervised release and to pay restitution amounting to $2,108,559.36.
Court documents revealed that Amanda and Timothy were married for several years and shared three children. The couple had moved several times due to Timothy’s job with the U.S. Department of State, including a stint in South Africa in 2018.
During their time there, Amanda developed a relationship with a South African man, Anthony Theodorou, and initiated divorce proceedings upon their return to the United States in 2020.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio in a statement on Tuesday, Oct. 1, tensions escalated after Amanda denied Timothy visitation rights with their children, defying court orders. A judge intervened in April 2022, awarding Timothy visitation and temporary custody.
Hovanec allegedly committed the murder on April 24, 2022, when Timothy arrived to drop off their three girls at her Wapakoneta, Ohio, residence. The incident was caught on dash camera footage, which cops recovered from Timothy’s abandoned car in Dayton, Ohio, after he failed to check out of his hotel and was reported missing.
In the video, Hovanec and her mother, Anita Green, are seen waiting outside the house near the garage. Hovanec is then seen approaching Timothy’s car and telling the couple’s children, “I have a surprise for you inside,” before the children enter the home with Green.
Seconds later, the victim was heard saying, “What the heck are you doing? Did you just assault me?” and then, “Get away from me . . . Get off of me.” The victim and Hovanec came into the camera’s view, at which time video footage captured her pulling on her husband’s shirt as he tried to use his cellphone.
She fought with him, eventually knocking the phone out of his hands. She then pulled on his back, dragging him to the ground and held him around the neck until his body became limp and he lay motionless on the driveway.
Hovanec stood up, took her husband’s smartphone, removed his smart watch, and switched off his car’s engine, at which time the dashcam ceased filming.
After first attempting to cover up her crimes, Hovanec eventually admitted to authorities that she injected her spouse in the shoulder with “poison” that she knew would kill him within minutes. She reportedly acknowledged to disposing of his car in Dayton and buried his body in a rural area close to her home. Theodorou was in Ohio when the event occurred.
He not only obtained the substance used to kill the victim, but also helped Hovanec bury her husband’s body. Green, who both Hovanec and Theodorou confirmed knew about the plan to murder the victim in advance, was charged as an accessory after the fact. She agreed to drive them and the victim’s body to the grave site, which was dug in advance of the murder.
The investigation determined that the victim was injected with M-99, commonly known as Etorphine, a Schedule I controlled substance approximately 1000 times more potent than morphine. It is used in veterinary medicine for zoo and wildlife anesthesia.
According to court documents, Hovanec planned killing her husband for at least a year before the murder and considered several methods, including hiring a hitman, before deciding on injecting him with M-99.
“Hovanec’s violent and intentional actions were cold-blooded, calculated, and cruel. Her extreme malevolence toward her husband and complete disregard for how his murder would affect their innocent children is incomprehensible and unforgiveable,” said U.S. Attorney Rebecca Lutzko for the Northern District of Ohio.
“We know that no amount of time served can bring back a family’s loved one. But our hope is that the victim’s family may find some sense of closure as they painstakingly work to heal from this unimaginable and horrific tragedy.” Rebecca Lutzko continued.
Theodorou received an 18-year prison sentence and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to import, importation, and distribution of a prohibited narcotic that resulted in death.
He was also sentenced to pay $2,108,559.36 in restitution, with a portion to be paid jointly and severally with Hovanec and Green. After pleading guilty to being an accessory to Amanda Hovanec and Anthony Theodorou’s crimes, Anita Green received a 10-year jail term and two years of supervised release.
This case was investigated by the FBI Cleveland Division, Lima Resident Agency, the Auglaize County Sheriff’s Office, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), and the Lucas County Coroner’s Office.
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