Investigators: NC woman's death linked to Voorhees murder-suicide

VOORHEES, N.J. - April 12, 2012

35-year-old Shawna Givens, a mother of three, was found dead inside her Fayetteville North Carolina home Wednesday afternoon.

Police say she was murdered and may have been dead for a couple of days.

Givens had been involved in a romantic relationship with 39-year-old Dr. Giocondo Navek.

The couple both worked for the Womack Army Medical Center at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville.

The Camden County Prosecutor's office confirmed Thursday that investigators found "physical evidence" inside Navek's Mercedes that was parked near a family member's home in South Philadelphia that was shared with North Carolina investigators.

Givens, a civilian and mother of 3, was a medical support assistant. Navek, a soldier with the Army Reserve Medical Command, was a primary care physician on active duty at the base for over a year. The pair had a romantic relationship.

Prosecutors say Givens and Navek came to Philadelphia together over the Easter weekend to visit his family. He identified her as his girlfriend.

On Sunday, they returned to North Carolina together.

Navek was back in Philadelphia by 8:00 p.m. Tuesday.

Then, yesterday, Navek borrowed a relative's Nissan and drove to Voorhees, New Jersey.

He ambushed 32-year-old Dr. Payman Houshmandpour, outside the medical surgical resident's Voorhees home as he was leaving for work.

Navek fired multiple shots killing Houshmandpour as he sat behind the wheel of his silver Audi.

Navek fled the scene and was pulled over by police. As officers approached the car, he shot and killed himself.

Investigators say the two men worked together as residents at Virtua Hospital about a year and a half ago and Navek blamed Houshmandpour for the loss of his job.

Five hours after the murder-suicide here, police in North Carolina went to Given's home when she didn't show up for work and found she too had been shot to death.

Back in March, another woman, described as Navek's fiancée, filed a police report indicating Navek fired two shots into a wall of a basement in a Williamstown home the couple shared.

No charges were filed.

Copyright © 2024 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.