The estranged wife of a Delta Air Lines pilot, Jennifer Lynn Lieber, was sentenced to 25 and a half years in prison after being convicted of second-degree murder for the death of her cousin and boyfriend, David J. Nanovich, in her Minnesota home.
This tragic incident unfolded on March 4, 2024, when Lieber was drinking beer and blackberry brandy with Nanovich and her 10-year-old son. At some point, she became volatile and brandished a handgun, initiating a chaotic confrontation that left Nanovich dead.
Lieber allowed Nanovich to stay in the pool house during a separation from her husband, with the two developing a romantic relationship, according to court documents.
Witnesses indicated that Lieber used racial slurs toward Nanovich during the altercation, highlighting her troubling mental state. It appears he and her son managed to escape briefly, but the situation escalated again when they attempted to check on the house.
Lieber’s children expressed concern to their father about their mother’s behavior, prompting him to call 911 for assistance. When officers arrived, Lieber was outside the home, visibly distressed, stating, “It’s really bad.”
Inside, police discovered Nanovich unresponsive at the bottom of the basement stairs, a gun nearby, and evidence of a violent struggle. Lieber claimed that the gun went off accidentally during their confrontation.
Authorities later determined that Nanovich had died from a close-range gunshot wound to the forehead. Lieber was found guilty after a two-week trial.
Sheriff Luke Hennen remarked on the dedication of the investigators and expressed sympathy for Nanovich’s family. In a similar vein, Scott County Attorney Ron Josevar called the incident a preventable tragedy and acknowledged the role of law enforcement in seeking justice.
Lieber has served over 16 years of her sentence and will complete the remainder under supervised release, amounting to around 232 days.
