WAPAKONETA, Ohio – A woman from Ohio is facing a life sentence after pleading guilty to the murder of her estranged husband, a crime marked by chilling premeditation, which occurred during a custody exchange in May 2022.
Amanda Leigh Hovanec, 38, entered her guilty plea in the Auglaize County Court of Common Pleas last month, admitting to aggravated murder in the death of 36-year-old Timothy Hovanec. This plea comes as she is already serving a 40-year federal sentence for multiple felonies, including drug distribution that resulted in death.
Timothy Hovanec, a researcher for the U.S. State Department, had recently been granted summer custody of their three daughters. Authorities say Amanda, embroiled in a bitter divorce and ongoing custody disputes, plotted his murder shortly after the court ruling.
According to court documents, she enlisted the help of Anthony Theodorou, a South African national with whom she formed a bond while her husband was on assignment abroad, and her mother, Anita Green. Both Theodorou and Green are facing separate charges related to the crime and are currently in custody.
On the day of the murder, as Timothy was unloading car seats after the custody exchange, Amanda approached him from behind and injected him with M-99, a powerful tranquilizer typically used for sedating large animals. Investigators say the attack, along with a violent struggle, was captured on a dash camera in Timothy’s vehicle, showing Amanda confronting him before he collapsed.
Evidence revealed that Theodorou shipped the lethal drug to Amanda a month prior and had prepared a shallow grave at a rural site. Prosecutors assert that after Timothy became incapacitated, Amanda suffocated him and, with Theodorou’s assistance, transported his body to the burial site.
The next day, Green aided her daughter and Theodorou in disposing of Timothy’s remains using shovels borrowed from a neighbor. Initially, Amanda told authorities that Timothy had left after dropping off the children, but after being confronted with incriminating video footage, she confessed to the murder.
Federal prosecutors have presented evidence indicating Amanda had previously warned her mother about her intention to kill Timothy and had informed Green immediately after the act. Authorities have linked all three through tangible evidence, digital communications, and their statements.
A sentencing date for Amanda Hovanec in state court has not been announced, but Ohio law mandates a life sentence without the possibility of parole for aggravated murder.
Meanwhile, her mother, Anita Green, and Anthony Theodorou remain behind bars as they await a pretrial hearing scheduled for March 13 on charges of complicity to aggravated murder.