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A Minnesota woman, Jennifer Lieber, has been convicted of murdering her cousin-turned-lover in what prosecutors describe as an alcohol-fueled outburst of violence.
Lieber, aged 47, received a prison sentence of 306 months on April 7 for the second-degree murder of David Joseph Nanovic in 2024, as detailed in court records accessed by Oxygen.
David Nanovic Was Found Dead At the Bottom of the Stairs
Amidst divorce proceedings from her husband, Stuart Lieber, Jennifer became the subject of a welfare check on the night of March 4, 2024, after Stuart contacted Scott County deputies, according to a probable cause statement reviewed by Oxygen.
Stuart informed the dispatcher that his wife was behaving erratically and had been reported by a child in the home to be making suicidal threats.
On arrival, deputies encountered Jennifer at the front of the house. According to court documents, she admitted to the deputy that she had “really messed up” before reentering the home. Inside, authorities discovered David’s body at the base of the stairs, described as “covered in blood,” with a handgun found nearby.
Jennifer allegedly told a friend—who was also at the scene when deputies arrived—that David had the gun and she “kicked it out of his hand and it went off,” striking and killing him, per the probable cause statement.
However, his son, who was 10 years old at the time, told deputies that Jennifer had been the one who had the gun in her hand.
David—who was Jennifer’s first cousin—had been living in the pool house of Lieber’s mansion with his son when authorities said that “a romantic relationship” began between the two.
What Happened the Night David Nanovic Died?
The night of the shooting, his son told investigators, per the court records, that Jennifer had been drinking beer and blackberry brandy as they watched television together. Then, when an argument broke out, she became “very agitated” and went to get the weapon.
“Defendant was yelling at them, pointing the gun at them, and threatening to kill them,” authorities wrote in the probable cause statement. “The Defendant was calling the Deceased racial slurs and hurtful things to him.”
David and his son—who told deputies that residing there was like “living in hell”—fled to the pool house around 9:30 p.m. About that same time, Jennifer’s two children reported that their mother was “acting crazy,” then they left the home, according to the court records. One of the children called David about half an hour later to ask him to check on their dogs.
David’s son told investigators that they both tried to approach the house, but Jennifer came outside, told them not to go in and fired a shot.
Later, David tried to enter the house again, this time on his own with his “hands raised,” according to the probable cause statement. It was the last time his son saw him alive.
According to an affidavit written by Scott County Sheriff’s Office investigator Kayla Puncochar and obtained by Oxygen, David was killed by a gunshot wound to the head. Detectives believed the gun came from an empty gun safe in Jennifer’s room.
Jennifer Lieber “Snapped” and Killed Her Cousin-Turned-Lover, Prosecutors Say
During the trial, Assistant Scott County Attorney Elisabeth M. Johnson argued in closing remarks, according to a trial transcript obtained by Oxygen, that Jennifer killed David as he tried to come up the stairs.
“She took that gun, placed it to the left side of his head, and fired,” she said. “She came from above on a curved staircase where he couldn’t see her coming, and pulling that trigger would only take a second. He didn’t stand a chance.”
According to the attorney, Jennifer was frustrated with her deteriorating relationship with David and “snapped.”
“She was a woman at the end of her rope,” she told jurors. “Her marriage was gone. She had no money. Her relationship with David was horrible.”
Jennifer Lieber’s Defense Attorney Argued David Nanovic Had Fired the Gun Himself
However, defense attorney Christa Groshek had tried to paint a different picture. She told jurors that her client had been the “quintessential suburban hockey mom” before her life began to fall apart during the divorce and she decided to “take a walk on the wild side” by getting into a relationship with her first cousin.
Groshek alleged that David had been physically violent during their relationship, telling jurors that he had threatened Jennifer with a gun and put it to his own head in a violent scuffle that night. After she kicked him, Jennifer’s attorney said, the gun either went off or he had already pulled the trigger, killing himself.
“He chased her up the stairs,” she told the jury, according to the transcript. “She fought for her life. He died and she lived.”
The jury, however, sided with prosecutors and convicted Jennifer of second-degree murder on Jan. 30.
“The successful prosecution of this case reflects the commitment of our investigators and our partnership with the Scott County Attorney’s Office to seek justice for victims of violent crime,” Sheriff Luke Hennen said in a statement to Prior Lake News Compass after the verdict. “Our thoughts remain with the family and loved ones of David Nanovic as they continue to navigate this loss.”