The Murder of James ‘Jim’ Nibbe
I’m back!! I’m sorry it’s been a busy week, so I haven’t been able to post as much.
For this case, I watched an episode of Murder in the Heartland. It’s season 7 episode 5, titled ‘An Unfaithful Truth.’
A woman calls 911 to report a home invasion.
Background
James Mervin Nibbe, or Jim as many called him, was born and raised in Blue Earth County, Minnesota. He settled down in the small town of Lake Crystal.
When Jim was about 22-years-old, he met his future wife, Jennifer. Jennifer was about 7 years older, but they fell hard for each other. Jennifer had a young son, Brady from a previous relationship. They eventually moved in together and got married in 2008.
Jim loved the outdoors. He loved to hunt, kayak and fish. He was also described as very nice, kind, and had a goofy smile. Jim’s goals in life were to become an electrician and start a big family.
James ‘Jim Nibbe’
Jim and Jennifer
The 911 Calls
On August 31, 2010, Jennifer Nibbe called 911. On the call, she said, “please help, someone’s trying to kill us.” She said her husband had been shot. Jennifer said that her 16-year-old son, Brady was still inside the house too.
Jennifer had woken Brady up after Jim had been shot. She told him that she had been assaulted, and cuts to her inner thighs. Jennifer told the dispatcher that she and her son were in the basement. She was still on the phone when the first responders arrived at the home.
The police were led inside the home. They could see that some of the furniture was out of place. A knife and rope were on the living room floor.
James was found lying in his bed. He had been shot in the back of the head. His hands were up near his head like he had been sleeping on his stomach. He had no pulse.
Jennifer’s Story
Jennifer told the police that she had been getting ready for work when she heard a loud bang. She looked through the crack in the door, and saw that Jim had been shot. She described the shooter as wearing all dark clothing, and had a nylon over his face. Jennifer said the shooter attacked her with a knife and had rope. Jennifer showed the police the cuts on the inside of her thighs.
The dog had started to bark, so the shooter fled. Jennifer said the rope came from their garage. They used it when they went kayaking. She said the knife was theirs too. The gun used to kill Jim had been purchased by him for deer hunting.
The police described Brady as appearing very shocked and confused about what had happened. Brady and Jim appeared to have a close relationship.
Brady was interviewed. He said that his mom had woken him up a little before 6am. He said he had slept through the gunshot. He said he had a .22 caliber gun for hunting, so he grabbed it and put shell casings in it to protect them. He said he waited in the entryway with the gun until the police arrived.
The police did learn later that Brady had also called 911. He never told the police this during the interview. Brady and Jennifer’s stories were very similar. The dispatcher told him that his mom was also on the phone with 911.
Jennifer was sent to the hospital to have her injuries treated.
Small Town Rumors
The police were quickly able to rule out robbery as a motive. There was no sign of forced entry, and nothing had been stolen.
The police wanted to know more about Jennifer and Brady’s relationships with Jim. While Jennifer was a very successful surgical nurse, many thought that she could’ve been involved. Jim’s family loved Jennifer, so they didn’t want to believe she was involved.
It appeared as if Jim and Brady got along very well. They had disagreements here and there, especially because Jim couldn’t get Brady to do any chores. Jennifer would tell Jim to leave him alone.
The police spoke to Jennifer after she was released from the hospital. Jennifer had made statements that her ex-boyfriend, Paul Holberg could’ve been involved. Jennifer and Paul had dated before she married Jim. Paul and Jim had also once been close friends.
Jennifer said that Paul could’ve been jealous of her and Jim’s relationship. Jim’s family was very familiar with Paul.
Ex-Boyfriend #1
The police spoke to Paul. He did fit the height and weight description of the shooter that Jennifer had given.
Paul said he had heard on the news that it was a home invasion and murder. Paul said he and Jennifer were in a relationship a year before she married Jim. They had been together for about 2-3 years, but it didn’t end well. Paul was familiar with the house and with Jennifer’s routine.
Jennifer had also been telling people that Paul’s family was after her because she owed them money. Paul said Jennifer had loaned his dad some money. Paul said he never had any issues with Jim, and that his issues with were Jennifer.
Paul said he had been in St. James, Minnesota at the time of the murder. The police checked his alibi. Paul had arrived around 7:30am. The murder had occurred about an hour and a half earlier. The police thought it was possible for Paul to commit the murder, and arrive at work on time.
Ex-Boyfriend #2
On September 2, the police obtained Jim and Jennifer’s phone records.
They learned that Jennifer had been in contact with another of her exes. They had dated in the past, and they had been sending texts and photos back and forth. They were also having conversations about becoming romantically involved.
The police interviewed this ex. He claimed he had been at home with his girlfriend and newborn baby during the time of the murder. He did admit that he and Jennifer had been in communication, and that his girlfriend was not aware of this.
With this information, the police obtained a search warrant to search Jennifer’s house again. They found financial documents explaining that they were behind on their house payments and credit card bills.
The police also found Jennifer’s diary. In one entry, Jennifer described Jim as a good man, but she was in love with her ex. She said the ex had a newborn and a girlfriend. Jennifer wrote about how she wanted to leave Jim.
The Arrest
On September 3, the police learned from Jim’s boss, Darin that Jim had taken out a $250,000 life insurance policy. Jennifer had insisted that Jim take out the policy.
On September 10, Jennifer was arrested, and interviewed again by the police.
Jennifer said there had been no home invasion or intruder. She on the day of the murder, she woke up at 5:30am in a panic. She said she went to get the gun, and put one shell casing in. She said she walked back into the bedroom, and grabbed the blanket on the end of the bed. Jennifer rested the gun on Jim’s shoulder, and pulled the trigger.
Jennifer admitted that she had an addiction to pain pills. She said she was forging prescriptions at her job, and wasn’t doing well. She kept saying that Jim was a good man and didn’t deserve what had happened to him.
Jennifer admitted that her injuries were self inflicted. Jennifer said she did this on her own, and that no one else had been involved.
On March 30, 2011, Jennifer was indicted on first degree murder. On September 9, 2012, she took a plea deal, and was sentenced to 25 years.
Jennifer’s mugshot
FINAL THOUGHTS
I don’t believe anyone else was involved. But, she scarred her son for life. The police described many times that Brady was in shock and confused on the day of the murder. It seemed like her addiction changed her personality and were messing up her life. She still chose to lay a shotgun on her husband’s shoulder and pull the trigger. My heart truly goes out to Jim’s family and friends, and to Brady.
Sources
https://thecinemaholic.com/james-mervin-nibbe-murder-where-is-jennifer-nibbe-now/
https://www.themidwestcrimefiles.com/post/a-wife-s-betrayal-the-james-nibbe-story
https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/tapes-released-of-woman-describing-her-husbands-murder/
