10-Year-Old Testifies Against Woman’s Claim of Accidental Point-Blank Shooting of Boyfriend

A Minnesota woman has been sentenced to over two decades behind bars for the fatal shooting of her boyfriend.

Jennifer Lynn Lieber, age 47, was convicted of second-degree murder in the 2024 killing of her boyfriend, David Nanovic, 45. This week, a judge in Scott County handed down a sentence of 25 and a half years, rejecting Lieber’s initial claim that the shooting was accidental—she had alleged the gun discharged when she attempted to kick it from Nanovic’s hand.

Documents from a criminal complaint, as reported by Law&Crime, reveal that prior to the incident, Lieber had been threatening to kill both Nanovic and his 10-year-old son.

The tragic events unfolded on the night of March 4, 2024, when deputies from the Scott County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched for a welfare check. The call had been initiated by Lieber’s estranged husband, who expressed concern over her unusual behavior after receiving a distressing call from Nanovic’s son, reporting that Lieber was threatening suicide.

Upon arriving, officers found Lieber with a female friend. Lieber admitted to law enforcement that she had “really messed up,” explaining that an argument with Nanovic had escalated. She claimed that during the altercation, Nanovic had a gun, and it discharged when she attempted to kick it from his grasp.

Police found Nanovic covered in blood at the bottom of the stairs in the home he shared with Lieber and his son. Nanovic was pronounced dead at the scene. Deputies eventually found his son, who told them, “Jennifer is probably freaking out because she had the gun in her hand.”

Nanovic’s son told police that he, his father, and Lieber were all watching TV in the living room that night. At some point, Lieber became “agitated” and grabbed a handgun, which she held onto all night. The boy said she started calling Nanovic “racial slurs” and insulting him. He told police that Lieber had been physically abusive toward Nanovic in the past, and their time in her home was like “living in hell.”

Nanovic and his son left Lieber and went to the pool house on the property.

Around 9:30 p.m., the two children Lieber shared with her estranged husband came out to the pool house and said their mother was “acting crazy. The two kids then returned to the main house. About 30 minutes later, one of the children called Nanovic’s son and asked him and his father to come back and check on the family’s dogs. When Nanovic and his son approached the house, Lieber pointed her gun at them and told them not to come inside before firing a shot.

Nanovic and his son went back to the pool house. The son said his father went back to try to check on the dogs again, and that was the last time he saw his father alive.

Lieber’s friend told police that Lieber called her “in a panic” and told her, “[T]here is blood everywhere and it’s not my fault.” She said she would call 911 after her friend came to the house. Meanwhile, Lieber’s two children called their father to tell him that Lieber was “not acting normal.” Lieber’s estranged husband then called police to conduct a welfare check.

Deputies arrested Lieber at the scene. An autopsy determined that the gunshot wound to the head that killed Nanovic was a contact wound.

Lieber was found guilty by a jury of second-degree murder in January. She was sentenced to 25 1/2 years in prison with credit for 232 days served.