‘Selfish’ wife ambushed husband with fatal dose of animal tranquilizer

A 38-year-old Ohio woman is expected to spend the rest of her life in prison for killing her husband during a 2022 custody exchange by injecting him with a lethal dose of animal tranquilizer.

Amanda Leigh Hovanec appeared last month in Auglaize County Court of Common Pleas, where she pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated murder in the death of 36-year-old Timothy Hovanec, according to court records obtained by Law&Crime.

Timothy Hovanec, who worked as a researcher for the U.S. State Department, was previously involved in several moves with his family, including a 2018 assignment in South Africa. During that time, Amanda Hovanec developed a relationship with a South African citizen named Anthony Theodorou.

Amanda and Timothy Hovanec had three daughters. After returning to the U.S. in 2020, Amanda filed for divorce. Federal prosecutors said she later denied Timothy visitation with their children, even though a court order required it. Two days before the murder, a judge granted Timothy a two-day custody period and named him the residential parent for the summer of 2022.

During this custody period, prosecutors said Amanda Hovanec carried out a premeditated plan to kill her husband with M-99, a powerful tranquilizer used in veterinary medicine, which is roughly 1,000 times more potent than morphine. The attack was captured on the victim’s dashcam.

According to federal prosecutors, Timothy Hovanec was unloading car seats from his vehicle when Amanda approached and injected him. Video footage showed a struggle as Timothy attempted to defend himself and use his phone. Amanda Hovanec then forced him to the ground and held him until he became unresponsive.

The tranquilizer had been shipped to Amanda just a month earlier by Theodorou, who later admitted to digging a shallow grave in preparation for the murder. After killing Timothy, Amanda placed a plastic bag over his body and, with the help of Theodorou and her mother, Anita Green, transported and buried the remains in a wooded area of Auglaize County. Court documents indicate that Amanda informed her mother of her plan before the murder and confirmed afterward that it had been carried out.

Initially, Amanda claimed her ex had simply left after dropping off the children, but she confessed once confronted with video evidence. Federal affidavits report that she admitted injecting Timothy with a substance she described as a “poison” or “drug,” fully aware it would kill him.

Amanda Hovanec is facing a mandatory life sentence in a state prison without parole. Green and Theodorou remain charged with complicity to aggravated murder, with a pretrial hearing scheduled for March 13.

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