Former Idaho State Police Trooper Accused Of Murdering Wife After Claiming She Killed Herself, Authorities Say

A former member of the Idaho State Police is now behind bars, charged with murdering his wife more than two years ago, according to authorities.

Daniel Howard, 57, turned himself in on April 21, hours after he reportedly was indicted by a grand jury. He also faces domestic battery charges.

Howard called 911 on Feb. 2, 2021 and reported his wife had shot herself.

But detectives determined Kendy Howard, 48, did not commit suicide. The Spokane Spokesman-Review reported details about her death have not been released.

Howard has walked a legal tightrope for years, both during and after his time as a trooper, according to officials.

The Coeur d'Alene Express noted he shot and killed a woman while on duty in 2011. A driver running from the law backed a Jeep into him. That death was ruled justified.

Then Howard received a suspended three-year prison sentence for threatening to kill a man over a suspected affair with his wife in 2013, according to authorities, and Howard wound up spending 120 days in jail.

Howard resigned from the state police in 2014, as he was under investigation in two Idaho counties. He pleaded guilty weeks later to title fraud, petty theft and possession of an untagged deer. He left custody in July 2016.

“You rehabilitated yourself,” District Judge Benjamin Simpson said at the time. “A lesser man could not have done that.”

Howard now is held without bond. He is the only murder suspect in the Kootenai County Jail.