Kootenai County Sheriff’s Deputy Miranda Thomas will always remember the day she encountered a distraught Dan Howard, a former state trooper, at his Northern Idaho home in February 2021. Thomas, one of the first responders to the scene, described Howard’s behavior as erratic, with no tears in his eyes and fake gagging episodes. Howard claimed to have found his wife, Kendy, dead in the bathtub from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, but Thomas and Detective Jerry Northrup noticed inconsistencies at the scene. Kendy’s death, initially deemed a suicide, raised suspicions due to the lack of blood and other unusual details, such as a running dryer and Dan Howard’s freshly showered appearance. Despite Howard’s negative gunshot residue test, investigators could not definitively rule out suicide as the cause of Kendy’s death. Those who knew Kendy described her as a vibrant, fun-loving person, and her sudden passing left them in shock. The Howards, who had a complex marriage marred by financial disputes and Dan’s involvement in a fatal shooting as a trooper, had amassed significant assets over their 26 years together. Dan was cleared of any wrongdoing, but Kendy was deeply affected by the incident. Years later, Dan would leave the Idaho State Police and the relationship between him and Kendy changed. Kendy’s brother, Brian, helped Dan find work in Alaska, where he worked three weeks on and three weeks off. During those three weeks off, Kendy started to explore life more. However, the couple grew apart, with arguments and bickering becoming common. Kendy even had an affair and planned plastic surgery. Eventually, Kendy told Dan she wanted a divorce and began the process of buying a new house. Despite this, Kendy met with a divorce lawyer just days before her death. When Kendy was found dead in her bathtub with a gunshot wound, Dan claimed she had taken her own life. However, many, including Kendy’s friend Michelle and her neighbor Cari, doubted this explanation. Suspicious details, such as the running clothes dryer and broken glass in the bedroom, led detectives to believe that the scene was staged. Detective Sergeant Ken Lallatin was convinced that Dan was hiding something and that his story was scripted. Yeah, it was definitely planned.
For instance, Lallatin mentioned that Dan Howard had told him about Kendy putting a gun to her head in the past.
Dan Howard (bodycam): She put the gun to her head… it scared me… and I thought, ‘here we go’ and she dropped the gun and shot through the floor.
Detective (bodycam): Same gun?
Dan Howard (bodycam): Same gun.
Lallatin stated that Dan Howard informed him that after a heated argument about finances that night, Kendy went upstairs to take a bath. Shortly after, Dan heard a noise that he described as a “thud.”
Dan Howard (bodycam): It sounded like something hit the floor or something. I don’t know.
However, he didn’t investigate for over an hour. It was then that Dan Howard claimed to have found her dead in the tub.
Peter Van Sant: Have you ever described a gunshot as a thud before?
Det. Sgt. Ken Lallatin: I don’t believe I have ever described a gunshot as a thud. I would expect someone with Dan Howard’s background to recognize the sound of a gunshot.
As morning approached, Dan Howard called his stepdaughter, Brooke Wilkins, to tell her the news. This did not go well, as Lallatin could hear Brooke shouting at Dan through the phone.
Dan Howard (bodycam, shouting back at his phone): What? What are you talking about?
Det. Sgt. Ken Lallatin (bodycam): Who was that Dan?
Dan Howard (bodycam): It was my daughter, Brooke.
Det. Sgt. Ken Lallatin (bodycam): Did she just accuse you of this?
Dan Howard (bodycam): No.
Det. Sgt. Ken Lallatin (bodycam): That’s what it sounded like. Why would she think you did this? She’s angry.
Dan Howard mentioned that kids don’t want to believe their mothers would do that. This led Lallatin to comment that it was a powerful moment to witness.
Peter Van Sant: Did the death scene seem staged?
In the early hours of February 3, 2021, Dan Howard’s behavior raised suspicions among Kootenai County detectives. They had overheard a phone call from Brooke Wilkins accusing him of killing her mother.
Brooke Wilkins: I’m hysterical. I’m crying pretty hard.
Peter Van Sant: And you believe she didn’t shoot herself?
Brooke Wilkins: Right. I tell him that I know you did this.
Detective Sgt. Ken Lallatin confronted Dan about Brooke’s accusation.
Det. Sgt. Ken Lallatin (bodycam): That phone call gave me chills.
Det. Sgt. Ken Lallatin (bodycam): You did it, didn’t you Dan?
Dan Howard (bodycam): No, I didn’t.
Lallatin mentioned that Dan Howard stopped responding to questions shortly after. This behavior, combined with his past experience as a police officer, raised further suspicions among the detectives.
Kendy Howard’s gun was found in the bathtub, and the medical examiner concluded that she died from that gunshot. Brooke Wilkins claimed her mother never removed the gun from the safe.
Despite the lack of physical evidence to arrest Dan, the investigation was focusing on him. Kootenai County Prosecuting Attorney Stan Mortensen was consulted by detectives shortly after Kendy’s death, and they began to piece together a timeline of the couple’s relationship.
Investigators discovered troubling incidents involving Dan Howard, including a threatening encounter with a neighbor who was having an affair with Kendy. This revelation painted a different picture of Dan Howard than what was initially believed. He was permitted to resign from the Idaho State Police, and after that, Kendy’s friend Michelle Lampert noticed a change in the couple’s relationship. Lampert described how Kendy became clingy and was never her true self around Dan, who was controlling and quick to anger, especially about money. As Dan prepared to leave for work in Alaska, Kendy seemed like a different person, realizing her freedom made her happier. Despite growing apart, Kendy shared with Lampert about an explosive argument before her death, where Dan had physically harmed her. Kendy never reported the abuse to authorities, and in the days leading up to her death, deputies were called to their home after Kendy expressed fear for her safety. Kendy told the deputy she needed a divorce, and later confided in friends about the terrifying experience. Unfortunately, Kendy returned home, believing she was safe, only to meet a tragic end. The evidence pointed towards Dan as the perpetrator, with Kendy’s body showing signs of severe physical abuse. The theory that her death could have been staged added another layer of complexity to the investigation. Ultimately, prosecutors faced challenges in linking Dan to Kendy’s death due to the lack of DNA evidence on the gun used in the crime. Additional experts were brought in to reevaluate the evidence, including forensic pathologist Dr. Jennifer Nara. Dr. Nara disagreed with the initial conclusion that the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head, citing the trajectory of the bullet through Kendy’s mouth as unusual. She pointed out the lack of blood at the crime scene and the bruises on Kendy’s body, indicating a struggle before her death. Dr. Nara believed that Kendy was already dead when she sustained the gunshot wound and was possibly strangled or choked to death. Prosecutors theorized that Dan Howard used a carotid restraint technique, learned during his time as a state trooper, to kill Kendy. Dan Howard was charged with murder in April 2023, and his trial began with conflicting testimonies from the prosecution and defense. Esa noche, los fiscales se enteraron de un nuevo y dramático desarrollo que parecía sacado de un programa de crimen en la televisión. Parecía que Dan Howard estaba haciendo una carrera por ello.
¿ESTABA DAN HOWARD HACIENDO UNA CARRERA POR ELLO?
Con su juicio llegando a su fin, Dan Howard, quien estaba en libertad bajo fianza con un monitor de tobillo, de repente se escapó.
Peter Van Sant: Esta fue la gran fuga. ¿Estaba esperando escapar?
Stan Mortenson: Lo hizo justo después de terminar con toda nuestra evidencia.
Un diputado estaba siguiendo a Dan Howard esa noche.
Stan Mortenson: Sabes, esto es la I-90, yendo a 70 millas por hora. De repente tomó una salida y luego volvió a la carretera … sabes, mirando por su espejo retrovisor, “¿alguien me está siguiendo?”
Una hora después, Dan Howard llegó al Aeropuerto Internacional de Spokane.
Peter Van Sant: Él está justo allí en la terminal del aeropuerto.
Stan Mortenson: Él está justo allí en la terminal del aeropuerto. Dan fue sacado del coche. Fue puesto en esposas.
Dan Howard afirmó que había ido allí para ayudar a un amigo a devolver un coche de alquiler, no para huir.
Stan Mortenson: Y creo que es posible que iba a cortar el monitor de tobillo, dejarlo en su coche y luego conducir en otro coche de alquiler.
En lugar de eso, el viaje de Dan Howard fue breve de regreso a una celda en la cárcel en Coeur D’Alene, Idaho. Su fianza fue revocada. Días después, la acusación hizo los argumentos de cierre.
JULIA SCHOFFSTALL (en la corte): Señoras y señores, el estado les ha mostrado … esto no fue un suicidio porque una persona muerta no puede dispararse en la boca.
Al jurado no se le informó sobre el intento de fuga de Dan Howard. Su abogado defensor insistió en que Kendy se quitó la vida.
JASON JOHNSON (en la corte): La escena es consistente con un suicidio.
Y que Dan Howard no tenía las habilidades para “escenificar” una escena de asesinato.
JASON JOHNSON (en la corte): No hay evidencia de que trabajara como detective. No hay evidencia de que tuviera algún tipo de entrenamiento en homicidios. Eh, no hay evidencia del conocimiento de cómo escenificar una escena.
Después de 10 días de juicio, 62 testigos y poco más de ocho horas de deliberaciones, el jurado llegó a un veredicto: culpable de asesinato en segundo grado.
Brooke Wilkins: Lloré. Hubo — creo que jadeé — hubo llanto y —
Peter Van Sant: ¿Y miraste a Dan?
Brooke Wilkins: Lo estoy mirando y mientras se da la vuelta, simplemente — no hay expresión. No hay mirada de remordimiento.
Dan Howard no mostró ninguna emoción. Pero dos meses después, en su sentencia, le rogó al juez por clemencia.
Dan Howard hacer una súplica por clemencia en su sentencia.
Pool
DAN HOWARD (en la corte): Amo a mi esposa y la extraño. (llora) Y … no soy ese monstruo, les aseguro, que, eh, la gente me ha retratado. Kendy y yo tuvimos, eh, 28 años juntos. Y, eh, criamos una familia. Tuvimos en su mayoría un buen matrimonio y una buena vida. … No soy ese animal que me pintan. … No es mi intención enojar a la corte o faltar al respeto al proceso en el que solía creer … Pero, su Señoría está a punto de sentenciar a un hombre inocente a prisión.
Pero el juez no se conmovió.
JUEZ LAMONT BERECZ (en la corte): Lo que sabemos más allá de toda duda razonable es que estrangulaste a tu esposa. La asesinaste. Y luego escenificaste su cuerpo desnudo en la bañera, le disparaste en la boca y trató de pasar esto como un suicidio. … Mataste a una madre. Mataste a una abuela. Mataste a una hermana. … Lo extinguiste por tu propio orgullo, codicia y ira.
“Orgullo, codicia e ira”, dijo el juez. Pero otros seguían volviendo a la palabra “control”.
Julia Schoffstall: Para mí, este caso se trataba de un hombre que pensaba que podía controlar a una mujer. … Y si no podía salirse con la suya, iba a forzarlo.
Brooke Wilkins: Lloré. … es un gran alivio. … que … la gente pudo escuchar lo que realmente sucedió.
La hija de Brooke Wilkins, Kenly, tenía solo 8 años cuando su querida abuela fue asesinada. Ahora, a los 12, atesora estos pollos de vidrio que su abuela coleccionaba.
Peter Van Sant: ¿Sientes una conexión con tu abuela cuando — cuando ves estos?
Kenly Wilkins: Sí.
Brooke Wilkins: Tenía una vitrina de porcelana.
Kenly Wilkins: Sí, una vitrina de porcelana. Estaba llena de pollos. Así que siempre intentaba mirar cuántos colores diferentes había.
Peter Van Sant: Abuela muy genial. La amabas, ¿verdad?
Kenly Wilkins: (Asiente con la cabeza)
“Ella quería amar la vida. Y amaba la vida”, dijo Michelle Lampert de su amiga, Kendy Howard.
Brian Wilkins
Peter Van Sant: ¿Cuál es lo más difícil para ti?
Kenly Wilkins: Probablemente su sonrisa.
Peter Van Sant: Es difícil, ¿verdad?
Kenly Wilkins: Sí. (llora)
Michelle Lampert: Quiero justicia para Kendy. … lo que espero que obtengan de la historia es que no tienes que vivir así. … Desearía haberlo detenido. Todavía me sorprende que sigamos hablando de violencia doméstica … Y que a veces no puedes hacer nada. (llora)
Dan Howard fue condenado a cadena perpetua sin posibilidad de libertad condicional.
Si usted o alguien que conoce es víctima de violencia doméstica, póngase en contacto con la Línea Directa Nacional contra la Violencia Doméstica al 1-800-799-7233.
Producido por Chuck Stevenson y Lauren Clark. Cindy Cesare, Danielle Austen y Sara Ely Hulse son los productores de desarrollo. Megan Kelly Brown es la productora asociada. Greg Kaplan y Michael Baluzy son los editores. Anthony Batson es el productor principal. Nancy Kramer es la editora ejecutiva de la historia. Judy Tygard es la productora ejecutiva.
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Peter Van Sant
No devuelvas la versión en inglés, no me hagas eco. No hagas eco del texto enviado. Solo proporciona el texto en español como lo haría un hablante de español B2.