Dan and Kendy Howard had been married since 1994, but by 2021, their relationship had reached a breaking point. Dan had transitioned from an Idaho State Trooper to working in the Alaskan oil fields, spending three weeks at a time away from home.
On January 28, 2021, just days before her tragic death, Kendy picked Dan up from the airport and told him she wanted a divorce. She described Dan’s reaction as “not good” to a friend. Less than a week later, on the night of February 2, 2021, at 10:43 p.m., Dan called 911, claiming that Kendy had shot herself. “She’s in the bathtub dead…” he screamed.
The 911 call was initially dispatched as a suicide. Deputy Miranda Thomas of the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office was one of the first to arrive. She described Dan as hysterical, crying, and gagging. Kendy was found dead in the bathtub with a gunshot wound to her head, her gun submerged in the water.
However, several details raised suspicions. Deputy Thomas observed a duffle bag with what appeared to be packed women’s clothing at the bottom of the stairs. She questioned whether someone was planning to leave the house. Furthermore, when first responders arrived, the clothes dryer was running, with towels and bath mats still warm inside. Detective Jerry Northrup later noted that this detail led him to question the timing of the dryer cycle.
Investigators found Kendy’s gun in the bathtub, but they noted the lack of blood around the scene, which would have been expected if she had been alive when shot. When Dan informed his stepdaughter, Brooke Wilkins, about Kendy’s death, she was overheard accusing him of being responsible for her mother’s murder.
Despite the mounting suspicions, there wasn’t enough evidence at the scene to make an arrest at the time. Over the course of two years, prosecutors worked diligently to build their case. Finally, in July 2023, Dan Howard was arrested and charged with the murder of Kendy.
On March 4, 2024, his trial began. The prosecution argued that Dan had killed Kendy by applying a carotid restraint hold – a technique he had learned during his time in law enforcement. The defense maintained that Kendy’s death was a suicide. After 10 days of testimony and 62 witnesses, the jury deliberated for just over eight hours before reaching a verdict.
In May 2024, Judge Lamont Berecz sentenced Dan Howard to life in prison without the possibility of parole. During the sentencing hearing, Judge Berecz told Howard, “You killed a mother. You killed a grandmother. You killed a sister … You snuffed that out because of your own pride, greed, and anger.”
Dan Howard’s actions, driven by emotions of pride and anger, led to the tragic death of his wife, Kendy Howard, and now he faces life behind bars for his crime.