A fatal shooting inside a Shakopee home ends with a lengthy prison sentence after a jury determined the killing was not an accident.
SHAKOPEE, MN – A Minnesota woman has been sentenced to more than two decades in prison after a jury found she fatally shot her boyfriend at close range, rejecting her claim that the gun discharged accidentally during a struggle. Jennifer Lynn Lieber, 47, received a 25 1/2-year sentence Tuesday for the killing of 45-year-old David Nanovic inside the home they shared.
Lieber was convicted in January of second-degree murder in connection with the March 4, 2024 shooting. Prosecutors said the evidence showed intent, pointing to threats made earlier that night and witness statements from Nanovic’s 10-year-old son.
Threats and timeline of the shooting
According to a criminal complaint, Lieber had been making threats to kill Nanovic and his son in the hours leading up to the shooting. Deputies were dispatched to the home after Lieber’s estranged husband requested a welfare check, reporting she was “acting weird” following a call from Nanovic’s son, who said Lieber was threatening to harm herself.
When deputies arrived, Lieber admitted fault, telling officers she “really f—ed up,” and claimed the shooting happened when she kicked a gun out of Nanovic’s hand and it discharged.
Nanovic was found at the bottom of a staircase, covered in blood, and pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy later determined the fatal gunshot wound to his head was a contact wound.
Witness account contradicts defendant’s claim
Nanovic’s son told investigators a different sequence of events, stating that Lieber had been holding a handgun throughout the evening after becoming “agitated.” He said she used racial slurs toward his father and described their living situation as “living in hell.”
The boy recounted that he, his father, and Lieber were watching television when her behavior escalated. He later told deputies, “Jennifer is probably freaking out because she had the gun in her hand.”
According to the complaint, Nanovic and his son initially retreated to a pool house on the property. When they later approached the main home, Lieber pointed a gun at them, warned them not to come inside, and fired a shot. The pair returned to the pool house, and Nanovic eventually went back alone to check on the dogs. His son said that was the last time he saw his father alive.
Additional statements gathered by investigators described Lieber calling a friend in distress, saying, “[T]here is blood everywhere and it’s not my fault.” Meanwhile, her children contacted their father, saying she was “not acting normal,” prompting the welfare check that brought deputies to the scene.
Lieber was arrested at the home and later credited with 232 days already served as part of her sentence.
Minnesota murder case, Jennifer Lynn Lieber sentencing, Shakopee shooting, David Nanovic death, Scott County court case