COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — A former Idaho State Police (ISP) trooper has been found guilty of second-degree murder and domestic battery in the death of his wife. But, he was not found guilty of first-degree murder
After hours of deliberation, a Kootenai County jury returned to the courtroom to deliver its verdict: Daniel Howard is guilty of second-degree murder in the death of his wife, Kendy Howard.
The verdict comes after hours of deliberation and more than two weeks of testimony from investigators, witnesses and forensic experts.
The 57-year-old former ISP trooper was arrested on April 21, 2023, in connection to the 2021 murder of his wife, Kendy. He reportedly turned himself in after Kootenai County prosecutors obtained a warrant for his arrest. He was released from the Kootenai County Jail in early December 2023 and remained out of custody leading up to his trial.
Howard was charged with first-degree murder in connection to the death of his wife. On Feb. 2, 2021, Howard called police and reported his wife shot herself. When police responded and began investigating, it was determined the fatal gunshot wound on Kendy Howard was not self-inflicted.
Howard resigned from ISP in 2014 after he was suspended amid investigations into his alleged criminal activity in Bonner and Kootenai counties, according to our news partner, the Coeur d'Alene Press.
The trial began in Kootenai County on March 4, nearly three years after the murder. According to the prosecution, Howard and his wife were going through a divorce at the time of her murder. The couple reportedly shared approximately $2 million in assets, which the prosecution claimed was Howard's motive for the murder. However, Howard's defense maintains that Kendy Howard killed herself.
Throughout the trial, the jury heard testimony from Kendy Howard's boyfriend and neighbor, responding officers and investigators and forensic experts. The prosecution rested its case last Wednesday while the defense wrapped up its arguments on Monday. The jury began deliberating on Tuesday morning and announced its verdict later in the afternoon.
A judge ordered Howard to be sentenced May 23. He faces the potential sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
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