WAPAKONETA, Ohio — A western Ohio woman is accused of injecting her estranged husband with a synthetic opioid in order to kill him, resulting in her arrest and the detainment of two other people on murder charges, according to court records.
Amanda Leigh Hovanec, 35, of Wapakoneta, was arrested Thursday and charged with murder, according to Auglaize County Sheriff’s Office online booking records. Also arrested on the same charge were Anita Marie Green, 61, of Wapakoneta, and Anthony Angelo Theodorou, 33, of South Africa, online records show.
All three are accused of the death of Timothy Hovanec, 36, of Virginia, WHIO-TV reported.
According to a statement issued by Auglaize County Sheriff Mike Vorhees, Timothy Hovanec had been visiting the area on family business when he was reported missing on Tuesday, the Sydney Daily News reported. An investigation led detectives to locate his body in a rural area of Auglaize County, the newspaper reported.
According to court records, Green was at the home when the Hovanecs exchanged their children, who ranged in age from 5 years old to 8 years old, Vorhees said.
“When Timothy dropped the children off at the residence, Anita Green took the children into the residence away from Timothy and Amanda,” a court affidavit read. “The body was moved into Anita Green’s garage until Green drove Amanda and Anthony to dispose of the body.”
Court records state that Theodorou was able to obtain and give Amanda Hovanec the opioid she allegedly used to kill her estranged husband, WHIO reported.
Amanda Hovanec filed for divorce on Dec. 4, 2020, according to Auglaize County online domestic relations court records. A final hearing was scheduled for June 15, 2022, records show. Amanda Hovanec was originally the custodial parent, and the court ruled that Timothy Hovanec would be allowed to see the children from April 22 to 24, 2022.
Over the past several months, Amanda Hovanec had attempted to get the court to take away her estranged husband’s rights to see the children, but the court denied her request, according to online court records.
On Dec. 1, 2021, court officials noted that “the parties’ issues have become contentious in nature.”
On April 22, 2022, the court also ruled that on May 28, 2022, Timothy Hovanec would become the “residential parent and legal custodian” of the children, online records show. Amanda Hovanec would be allowed to visit the children in Virginia several times during the summer, the court ruled, beginning June 10.
A missing person case was launched after the hotel Timothy Hovanec had been staying at called to say he had failed to check out, WHIO reported.
“An investigation into his whereabouts led Detectives to locate Timothy’s body in a rural area of Auglaize County,” deputies said in a statement.
Amanda Hovanec, Green and Theodorou were being held at the Auglaize County Jail, with bail set at $2 million for each, online records show.
They appeared in Wapakoneta Municipal Court on Thursday via video conference from the jail, WHIO reported.