Auglaize County mother, daughter convicted in murder case – Mercer County Outlook

October 2, 2024, press release from the United States Department of Justice, Northern District of Ohio:

TOLEDO, Ohio – Amanda Hovanec, 37, of Wapakoneta, Ohio, was sentenced to 40 years in prison by U.S. District Judge James R. Knepp II after pleading guilty to several charges, including distribution of a controlled substance that resulted in the death of her husband . Hovanec was also sentenced to 10 years of supervised release and ordered to pay $2,108,559.36 in restitution.

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According to court documents, Hovanec and her husband, Timothy, were married and had three children. They moved several times because of his position at the U.S. State Department, which included a stint in South Africa around 2018. During his stay, Hovanec developed a relationship with a South African citizen named Anthony Theodorou. Hovanec initiated divorce proceedings against her husband in 2020 upon her return to the United States. In December 2021, she began to deny her husband visitation with their children, even though a court order had permitted this. After her husband filed multiple contempt petitions against Hovanec for denying visitation, a judge ordered the children to be visited by their father in April 2022 and also ordered the husband to be the live-in parent for two months that summer will become the legal guardian of her children from May.

As ordered, the children went with their father for a weekend visit in April, after which their father took them back to Hovanec's residence in Wapakoneta. A missing persons investigation was later launched after the husband failed to check out of an area hotel where he had been staying.

During the investigation, law enforcement officers discovered the man's abandoned car in Dayton, Ohio. It was equipped with a dashcam. Review of the camera video revealed that the husband returned the children to Hovanec's apartment at approximately 7 p.m. on April 24, 2022. Video footage showed Hovanec and her mother Anita Green waiting outside the apartment next to the garage. Hovanec was then seen walking toward the driver's side of the vehicle and was heard telling the children: “I have a surprise for you inside.” The children entered the residence, followed by Green. Seconds later the victim was heard saying: “What the hell are you doing? Did you just attack me?” and then: “Get away from me… Get away from me.” The victim and Hovanec came into view of the camera, after which video footage showed her pulling on her husband's shirt as he attempted to use his cellphone. She struggled with him and eventually knocked the phone out of his hand. She then pulled on his back to bring him to the ground and held him around the neck until his body went limp and he became unresponsive and lay on the driveway. Hovanec stood up, picked up her husband's cell phone, took off his smartwatch and turned off his vehicle's engine, causing the dashcam to stop recording.

After initially trying to cover up her crimes, Hovanec later confessed to investigators that she “injected” her husband in the shoulder.Poison” which she knew would kill him within minutes. She also admitted to dumping his car in Dayton and burying his body in a wooded area not far from her home. Theodorou was in Ohio at the time of the incident. Not only did he obtain the substance used to kill the victim, but he also helped Hovanec bury her husband's body. Green, who both Hovanec and Theodorou confirmed knew in advance about the plan to murder the victim, was charged as an accessory after the fact. She agreed to drive her and the victim's body to the grave site that had been dug in advance of the murder.

The investigation revealed that the victim was injected with M-99, also known as etorphine, a Schedule I controlled substance that is approximately 1,000 times more potent than morphine. It is used in veterinary medicine for anesthesia in zoos and wild animals.

According to court documents, Hovanec had been considering killing her husband for at least a year before the murder and had considered alternative options, including hiring a hitman, before deciding to inject him with M-99.

U.S. Attorney Rebecca Lutzko for the Northern District of Ohio

“Hovanec’s violent and premeditated actions were cold-blooded, calculated and cruel. Her extreme malevolence towards her husband and her complete disregard for the impact of his murder on her innocent children is incomprehensible and unforgivable. We know that no amount of time served can bring back a family's loved one. But we hope the victim’s family finds a sense of closure as they work diligently to recover from this unimaginable and terrible tragedy.”

Green was sentenced to 10 years in prison and two years of supervised release after pleading guilty to his involvement in the crimes of Amanda Hovanec and Anthony Theodorou. Theodorou's sentencing, originally scheduled for October 1st, has been postponed to Thursday October 3rd.

This case was investigated by the FBI Cleveland Division, Lima Resident Agency, Auglaize County Sheriff's Office, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), and Lucas County Coroner's Office.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alissa Sterling and Michelle Baeppler for the Northern District of Ohio.