Daniel C Howard: Ex-trooper charged with wife Kendy Howard's murder after claiming she killed herself
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
BOISE, IDAHO: Former state trooper Daniel C Howard has been charged with murder and domestic battery for allegedly killing his wife Kendy Howard, whom he claimed had died by suicide. Howard surrendered to police on April 21 following an investigation into Kendy's death on February 2, 2021. According to the Coeur d'Alene Press, authorities found probable cause to charge Howard after determining that the cause of Kendy's death was not a self-inflicted injury.
Howard resigned from the Idaho State Police in 2014 and was put on administrative leave without pay while investigators looked into other cases in Kootenai and Bonner counties, as per the CDA Press. As reported by the Spokesman-Review, Howard had previously threatened to kill his "best friend" after discovering that the friend was having an affair with his wife. Howard reportedly "poured syrup into his friend's car, leaving him vulgar messages, and firing a shotgun at his house."
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'Daniel Howard had a criminal history'
According to Fox News and The Spokesman-Review, in another case, the accused managed to steal thousands of rounds of ammunition from state police and used a fake name in an application for a motorcycle. The Spokesman-Review also reported that the former state trooper had spent 120 days in jail and completed 600 hours of community service as part of a plea deal with prosecutors for malicious injury to property, petty theft, title fraud, and failing to tag a deer he shot.
'Bubbly personality'
According to the CDA Press, Daniel Howard allegedly shot and killed a woman while on duty in 2011, but an investigation by a separate investigative agency found the incident to be within the law and fair. Kendy Howard's obituary described her as a "bubbly personality" with the "ability to make everyone feel as if they were her friend." The 48-year-old Idaho native is survived by two children and one grandchild, as reported by People.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.