A jury convicted Jennifer Lynn Lieber after they heard evidence about threats, a handgun and a contact wound.
SHAKOPEE, Minn. — Jennifer Lynn Lieber received a 25 1/2-year prison sentence in Scott County District Court, ending the main phase of a murder case that began with David Joseph Nanovic’s death inside a Credit River home.
The sentence followed a two-week trial, a January 2026 guilty verdict and more than two years of investigation and court proceedings. Lieber was convicted of second-degree murder for the March 4, 2024, killing of Nanovic, her live-in boyfriend. The case turned on the gap between Lieber’s claim of an accidental discharge and prosecution evidence that the gun was in her hand before Nanovic was shot at close range.
The first public stage of the case came the night Nanovic died. Deputies were called after Lieber’s estranged husband asked for a welfare check. He had received alarming information from children connected to the home, including Nanovic’s 10-year-old son, who said Lieber had threatened to kill herself. Lieber’s two children also described her as not acting normally. Deputies arrived to find Lieber and a female friend outside. Lieber told them she and Nanovic had argued. She said Nanovic had a gun and that the weapon went off after she kicked it from his hand. Inside the home, deputies found Nanovic at the bottom of stairs, covered in blood. He was pronounced dead there.
Investigators then built a chronology from witness statements, physical evidence and the autopsy. Nanovic’s son told deputies that Lieber had grabbed a handgun while the three were watching television and that she kept it with her during the night. He said she became agitated, insulted Nanovic and used racial slurs. He also said Lieber had abused Nanovic before and described the household as “living in hell.” When deputies located the boy, he said, “Jennifer is probably freaking out because she had the gun in her hand.” That statement directly contradicted Lieber’s first account to law enforcement and gave the state a witness who described the gun before the fatal shot.
The movement of the people on the property became part of the court record. Nanovic and his son left the main house for a pool house as the situation escalated. Lieber’s children later came outside and said their mother was acting erratically. They returned to the main house. One of them later called Nanovic’s son and asked him and Nanovic to come back to check on the dogs. When they neared the home, the boy said Lieber pointed the gun at them, warned them not to enter and fired. Nanovic and his son went back to the pool house. Nanovic later went back alone. The boy said that was the last time he saw his father alive.
Charging records also described Lieber’s contacts after the shooting. A friend told investigators Lieber called her in a panic and said there was blood everywhere and that it was not her fault. The friend said Lieber planned to call 911 after she arrived. Meanwhile, the children’s calls reached Lieber’s estranged husband, who contacted authorities. Those calls brought deputies to the home around 10:23 p.m. The reports did not identify any outside witness who saw the final shot. The prosecution instead joined the child’s account, Lieber’s statements, the friend’s statement and the medical findings to argue that the shooting was intentional.
The autopsy gave prosecutors one of their strongest points. Nanovic died from a gunshot wound to the head, and the wound was determined to be a contact wound. That meant the gun was touching or extremely close to Nanovic when fired. A point-blank wound was difficult to square with Lieber’s statement that she kicked a gun from Nanovic’s hand and it accidentally discharged. The medical finding did not answer every question about the final seconds, but it narrowed the possible explanations. Jurors heard that evidence during the trial before finding Lieber guilty.
The verdict came in January 2026 after jurors sat through about two weeks of testimony and evidence. Lieber, then 47, was taken into custody after the verdict and held ahead of sentencing. The offense carried a maximum prison term of 40 years, but the sentence imposed was 306 months. Judge Caroline Lennon also gave Lieber credit for 232 days already served. The sentence means Lieber is expected to spend more than 16 years incarcerated before serving the balance under supervised release if standard Minnesota release rules are applied.
Public statements from Scott County officials framed the case as both a homicide and an act of domestic violence. Sheriff Luke Hennen said investigators and prosecutors worked together to seek justice for victims of violent crime. County Attorney Ron Hocevar said the killing was “tragic and preventable” and thanked law enforcement and jurors for holding Lieber accountable. Officials also said their thoughts remained with Nanovic’s family and loved ones as they continued to live with the loss.
The sentencing did not answer every unknown. Reports did not identify a public statement from Lieber at sentencing or detail whether the defense will pursue further review. The records reviewed also did not show that anyone else faced charges in connection with the night Nanovic died. What is established is the court outcome: a jury rejected Lieber’s accident claim, and the judge imposed a prison term measured in decades.
For now, Lieber’s case moves beyond trial court sentencing. The conviction, 306-month sentence and 232 days of custody credit remain the last reported court actions as of April 29, 2026.
Author note: Last updated April 29, 2026.