Former trooper on trial for murder arrested at airport
Former Idaho State Police trooper Daniel C. Howard, left, speaks with his attorney during a break in his trial last week. He is accused of murdering his wife.
KAYE THORNBRUGH/Press
Daniel Howard, the former Idaho State Police trooper currently on trial for the murder of his wife, was arrested Friday night at the Spokane International Airport.
Howard, 58, of Athol, was booked into the Spokane County Jail at 10:41 p.m. on a bench warrant. By early Saturday evening, he had been extradited to Kootenai County and booked into jail.
For the past two weeks, Howard has been on trial in Kootenai County, facing charges of first-degree murder and felony domestic battery.
Prosecutors say he killed his wife, Kendy Howard, by asphyxiation in February 2021, then placed her in a bathtub and shot her to make it look like she died by suicide. The state alleges Daniel Howard murdered his wife to avoid splitting an estimated $2 million in shared assets in their impending divorce.
Howard was arrested on the murder charge in April 2023 and remained in jail on a $1.5 million bond until December 2023, when he was released on a property bond.
As a condition of his release, he was reportedly required to wear an ankle monitor and not come within two miles of Spokane International Airport. It is not yet confirmed why he was at the airport Friday night.
It’s unclear if the arrest will affect the trial, which is scheduled to resume Monday morning.
Howard resigned from the Idaho State Police in 2014, after he was suspended amid investigations into criminal activity in Kootenai and Bonner counties.
He faced charges of grand theft, petit theft and possession of an untagged deer related to acts in Kootenai County, including stealing thousands of rounds of ammunition from the state police.
In Bonner County, he was charged with forgery, title fraud and grand theft after police said he used a fake name in a motorcycle title application.
Howard ultimately pleaded guilty to possessing an untagged deer and fraud and entered Alford pleas to felony malicious injury to property and petit theft. By entering Alford pleas, he did not admit guilt but acknowledged there was enough evidence to convict him at trial.
Kootenai County prosecutors said Howard threatened to kill a man in 2013 who had allegedly had an affair with his wife. Howard was accused of stalking the man, stealing his mail, pouring syrup in his vehicles and firing a gun at his house.
He admitted to some of the acts and agreed to pay restitution. He received a suspended sentence of three years in prison.