A Minnesota woman who admitted to shooting her husband in the back of the head while he slept is now seeking early release from prison — and the victim’s family says they are being shut out of the process.
In 2012, Jennifer Nibbe pleaded guilty to the 2010 murder of her husband, James “Jim” Nibbe, inside their Blue Earth County home near Lake Crystal, and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Leslie Johnson, Jim’s sister, told Alpha News the family was recently contacted by the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) and informed that Jennifer Nibbe has requested early release through the department’s work release program — something the family is vehemently against.
“They told me victims don’t have rights in this case,” Johnson said. “You have more rights as a criminal.”
From intruder claim to confession
Jim Nibbe, 26, was found dead on Aug. 31, 2010, after his wife, Jennifer Nibbe, then 33, called 911 and claimed an intruder had broken into their home and shot him.
She told dispatchers a masked man shot her husband with a shotgun, then attacked her before fleeing.
Investigators quickly grew suspicious.
Authorities found no signs of forced entry, no footprints or tire tracks outside the home, and no evidence supporting the intruder claim.
According to court records, “Investigators also discovered that, for several months before her husband’s death, Nibbe had been exchanging sexually explicit text messages with another man. Investigators also learned that Nibbe’s husband had recently taken out a life insurance policy and that Nibbe was addicted to prescription pain medication, which had become a financial burden.”
Jennifer Nibbe was arrested days later on suspicion of murder.
According to court documents, she “gave a statement to officers to the effect that she shot her husband in the back of the head while he was sleeping in their bed and then tried to make it appear as though an intruder had killed him during a home invasion.”
The case was later featured in the Investigation Discovery series “Murder in the Heartland” in an episode titled “An Unfaithful Truth,” which examines the initial home invasion claim and the investigation that followed.
Sentence and early release
Before trial, Jennifer Nibbe agreed to plead guilty to second-degree murder under a Norgaard plea — in which a defendant claims memory loss but acknowledges the evidence would likely lead to conviction — allowing her to avoid a potential life sentence without the possibility of release if convicted of first-degree murder.
In July 2012, she was sentenced to 25 years in the Shakopee women’s prison.
She later appealed the plea as invalid, but the Minnesota Court of Appeals rejected her claim and upheld her conviction.
Under Minnesota law, most inmates serve two-thirds of their sentence in custody, with the remaining one-third served on supervised release, assuming good behavior — meaning Nibbe was expected to serve roughly 16 to 17 years in prison.
Jennifer Nibbe was also credited for time served in jail prior to her conviction, further reducing the amount of time she would spend in prison.
As a result, Johnson said Jennifer Nibbe has served roughly 14 years in prison and is now being considered for release even earlier through the state’s work release program.
“She got a reduced sentence with the plea deal, she got credit for time served, and now she’s getting out early,” Johnson said. “What the hell?”
If work release is not granted, Jennifer Nibbe’s scheduled release date is Aug. 7, 2027.
For Johnson, the potential early release is especially painful because she says Jennifer Nibbe has never fully accepted responsibility for what she did.
“She has yet to take responsibility for this killing,” Johnson said. “She has yet to say, ‘I am sorry I killed him.’”
Johnson said a lack of accountability should matter when deciding whether someone is ready to return to the community.
“I would like an apology letter where she admits to killing him and that she is sorry for it,” she said.
Jennifer Nibbe has also been featured on a website that sells artwork created by inmates, adding another layer of frustration for the victim’s family.
A site called “Art From the Inside” displays paintings and drawings by inmates, including Jennifer Nibbe, and indicates that at least two of her pieces have sold for hundreds of dollars.
The site includes artist statements in which she reflects on her personal growth, describing a “healing process” and expressing gratitude for a “second chance.”
For Johnson, those statements underscore what she sees as a continued lack of accountability.
“I’d say it’s complete bullshit,” Johnson said. “That would have been a really good time to say, ‘I am so sorry for what I did to Jim and his family.’ There is no remorse in her. None.”
Family says they are being retraumatized
Johnson described her brother Jim as dearly loved by the close-knit Nibbe family, whose absence continues to shape their lives.
“My brother missed out on everything,” Johnson said. “She’s going to get out and be able to live her life — go to weddings, funerals, see her grandchild. There is no justice in that.”
Johnson said the process itself has reopened wounds for the Nibbes.
“This is just re-victimizing a family again,” she said. Johnson said she has not been told when a final decision will be made and was informed that the process is not public.
She also said she was told she does not have a right to formally participate in the decision.
“They told me I don’t have a right to provide input,” she said.
DOC says release not final, acknowledges limited victim rights
Alpha News reached out to the DOC for clarification on the early release process, victim notification requirements, and whether families have an opportunity to provide input in cases like this.
In response, the DOC confirmed that Jennifer Nibbe has received tentative approval for work release but that a final decision has not yet been made.
“She has been determined to meet work release criteria with tentative approval,” DOC Communications Director Shannon Loehrke said, adding that the decision is contingent on Nibbe’s continued behavior in custody and subject to final review by Commissioner Paul Schnell.
Loehrke said Schnell is expected to meet with the victim’s family in the coming weeks “to receive victim input and address family questions.”
However, the department confirmed that victims do not have a formal legal right to participate in the decision-making process.
“There is no statutory right for crime victims to have input into work release decisions,” Loehrke said.
She noted that while victims can provide input through the department’s Victim Services unit, those comments are not part of a formal hearing process, as no such hearing exists for work release decisions.
“The Victim Services Unit notifies crime victims of the work release application/approval, provides information on the work release program, takes any input that they have and provides that information to the work release program as they finalize their work release decisions and set the work release conditions,” the DOC said.
Under Minnesota law, the commissioner of corrections has final authority over work release placements, which allow inmates to leave confinement for employment or programming while remaining under supervision.
Jennifer Nibbe’s scheduled release date remains Aug. 7, 2027, and DOC officials emphasized that she is expected to be released next year regardless of whether she participates in work release.
The department said factors such as prison behavior, public safety risk, and “acceptance of responsibility and demonstrated remorse” may be considered when reviewing work release applications.
Additionally, offenders on work release must reside in DOC-contracted facilities, such as jails or halfway houses.
“Upon completion of work release, participants transition to supervised release, which includes an investigation and approval of their release location by the assigned supervision agent. While on work release, participants can be given directives to not enter into certain areas/counties as deemed appropriate,” the department said.
Calls for change
Johnson said she is now calling for changes to state law, including mandatory restrictions on where violent offenders can live after release.
“You should not be able to come back to the same community where you committed the crime,” she said, adding that she does not want Nibbe to return to Blue Earth County, where the murder took place.
For Johnson, the issue is not just about her brother’s case, but what it represents.
“It says ‘justice’ on the outside of the courtroom,” she said. “There is no justice in the justice system.”
Jenna Gloeb
Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.
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