At 11:00 that night, Daniel Howard called the police and reported that he had found his wife dead in the bathtub. 48-year-old Kandy Howard was lying in the water with a gunshot wound to her head. Her handgun was found nearby. At first glance, it looked like a suicide. But within minutes, investigators started noticing things that didn’t add up.
The blood on her face had dried in a direction that didn’t match the position of her body. Her hair appeared unnatural. The water in the tub was almost clear, even though a fatal gunshot wound should have left a very different scene. A clothes dryer was running in the house, and it had been turned on just moments before the call to 911.
And Kandy’s husband was far from an ordinary witness. Daniel Howard had spent more than 20 years in law enforcement. He was a former Marine, a firearms instructor, and a SWAT officer. He was someone who knew exactly what a crime scene looked like. And that was not the only thing that raised suspicions. Just days before her death, Kandy had asked for a divorce.
She was planning to move away, start over, and build a new future for herself. She had also told her loved ones about an incident that frightened her so badly that they begged her never to return home. In the middle of the night, she woke up and saw her husband standing over her bed dressed in black and wearing gloves. In one hand, he was holding a pillow.
In the other was an object she could not clearly make out. Later, Kandy said she was certain of only one thing. That night, Daniel Howard was planning to her. Hey guys. Let me grab you for just a second. I’m really curious where my audience is watching from, so I’d love for you to drop a comment and tell me what city you’re in and what time it is for you right now. Thanks for taking a moment.
Go ahead and share that in the comments and now let’s keep going. On the night of February 2nd, 2021, at around 11:00, deputies from the Cassia County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the home of Daniel and Kandi Howard. Through tears and obvious distress, Daniel insisted that no crime had taken place. But as investigators dug deeper into the details and took a closer look at the circumstances, they began to believe the evidence was telling a very different story.
By February of 2021, Daniel and Kandi Howard had owned their home in Athol for nearly 20 years. It was there that they raised two children, Kandi’s daughter, Brooke, from a previous relationship and their son, Wyatt, who was younger than Brooke and whom the couple had together. Both children had continued living at home for a time after reaching adulthood.
Brooke had recently become a mother herself and Kandi absolutely loved spending time with her granddaughter. But after the children moved out, tension inside the household began to grow. 55-year-old Daniel had built a 20-year career in law enforcement after serving in the United States Marine Corps. Over the years, he worked as a sheriff’s deputy and later as an Idaho State Police Officer.
In early 2021, he was working in Alaska on a schedule that kept him away for 3 weeks at a time followed by 3 weeks at home. On the night of February 2nd, he had returned to the house in Athol only a few days earlier. It was nearly 11:00 at night and the couple was alone in the house. Dan later recalled that around 9:00, Kandi had drawn herself a bath, something she often did.
But when she stayed in the bathroom much longer than usual, he went upstairs to check on her. There, he found the woman he had spent 27 years with dead in the bathtub. A handgun was lying in the water beside her. Deputy Sheriff Miranda Thomas found Dan
Howard outside the house. He was pacing back and forth, crying uncontrollably and letting out loud sobs as other law enforcement officers went inside to locate Kandi. Dan was bent forward as he moved around the property. At times, he appeared nauseated, and he repeatedly let out anguished cries that reflected what seemed to be overwhelming grief.
>> Sir, would you please sit? Dan? Dan, can you have a seat for me? >> Please, go ahead, sir. >> Yeah, YOU CAN SIT. IT SAYS BETTER FOR YOU. IT SAYS BETTER for you. I’m sure that will make you a little more comfortable, okay? >> Later, Miranda Thomas recalled that Dan appeared to be trying to vomit, but nothing actually came up.
He was crying, yet she never saw any tears. Meanwhile, officers cleared the house and confirmed that no one else was inside. >> Sir. Did you get >> No. Okay, so the toys are for grandkids? >> Yes. No. No. No. >> Even though Dan had told the 911 operator that his wife was already dead, emergency medical personnel were still dispatched to the scene.
>> And they’re just going to go in there and do their thing. This is their scene now. Just stay out of the garage. We’re going to let them come out. >> In the upstairs bathroom, Cassia County Sheriff’s deputies found Candy naked in the bathtub. A semi-automatic handgun was lying in the water beside her. Investigators also recovered a single spent shell casing.
The 48-year-old grandmother had suffered a gunshot wound to the head. At first glance, the scene did not appear to be a homicide. The handgun found in the tub belonged to Candy. However, several details immediately struck investigators as suspicious. There were no clothes or bathrobe in the bathroom that would suggest she had changed either before or after taking a bath.
The only towels present were decorative hand towels that matched the room’s decor and were clearly not intended for bathing. Candy’s purse and cell phone were sitting on the bathroom counter, but they were positioned out of reach of someone sitting in the tub. The physical evidence at the scene raised even more questions.
Blood on Candy’s face had dried in a direction opposite to the way her body was positioned in the bathtub. Investigators noted that the blood flow pattern appeared to defy gravity based on how she was found. Several strands of hair were also lying across her face in the opposite direction. That suggested her body may have been moved after death.
There were no blood spatter stains on her hands at all. The bath mat next to the tub was completely soaked with water, yet there was no water anywhere else on the bathroom floor. For experienced investigators, another detail stood out immediately. The water in the bathtub was clear enough to see through. If the fatal gunshot wound had occurred while Candy was actually in the tub, the water should not have remained that clean.
Investigators also noticed several unusual circumstances elsewhere in the house. In the bedroom, they found fragments of broken glass scattered across the carpet. In the basement, a wood-burning stove was running at full capacity. Officers who arrived at the scene later described the lower level of the home as unbearably hot.
Brooke and other family members later told investigators that Dan insisted on heating the entire house exclusively with the wood stove because he considered central heating too expensive. As a result, air vents throughout the house were always left open to allow air to circulate between floors. According to Brooke, sound traveled exceptionally well through the home, making it easy to clearly hear activity upstairs even from the basement.
Outside, Deputy Thomas noticed fresh deodorant marks on Dan’s shirt. He later told officers that he had taken a shower at approximately 3:30 that afternoon. By the time law enforcement arrived, more than 6 hours had passed. Investigators also learned that shortly before finding his wife, Dan appeared to have been doing laundry. Deputy Ben Wheeler, who’d been on the job for only about 5 weeks, noticed that the clothes dryer was running.
The machine showed just 6 minutes remaining in its cycle. Based on the time stamp from his body camera and the time left on the dryer, investigators concluded that the machine had been started only minutes before the call to 911. It was Ben Wheeler who ultimately had to deliver the devastating news to Dan Howard that his wife was dead.
>> Deputy Wheeler. I’m I’m sorry to inform you your wife has passed. >> No. God damn it. >> After that, the deputy offered to contact family members or anyone else Dan wanted by his side. Once he information needed to notify their son, Wyatt, the officer began asking a few basic questions about how Dan had discovered his wife in the bathroom.
>> When is the last time that you saw your wife alive? I know this this is tough. How long How long ago was it? Did you call her at all? What time was it then? Did you Did you call 911? Did you when you were preparing a shower? No. Okay. And did she go to the bathroom? Was downstairs getting ready to go. So when she hit the floor or something.
When was When was the last time you saw your wife before she went to go take a bath? All right. Hour and a half Hour and a half. Okay. >> I don’t know. I really don’t know. >> That’s That’s about 11:15. Maybe like 9:30. 9:30 or so? I think. Okay. >> When Deputy Ben Wheeler first entered the bathroom, he held his gloved hand just above the surface of the water in the bathtub.
There were still bubbles floating on top and the water remained warm to the touch. Afterward, Dan sat down in the kitchen with sheriff’s deputies and a detective, where they began a formal interview. Further processing of the house was temporarily paused while investigators waited for a search warrant.
In the meantime, several notebooks and documents sitting out in plain view appeared to reveal a great deal about the state of the Howard marriage. One item in particular immediately caught investigators’ attention. A folder from a family law firm. Inside were divorce-related documents. >> So, what what was going on in there? >> Next to the attorney’s folder was a notebook containing a detailed list of the couple’s assets.
Beside each item were notes indicating who would receive specific property in the event of a division of assets. The list also included the real estate they owned. Altogether, the value of their property and assets was nearly $2 million. Under Idaho law, those assets would have been divided equally if the couple went through with the divorce.
>> But is is divorce already been decided or is it open for discussion? >> Yes. She wants a divorce one day, she wants to go next. John >> Dan told Detectives Northrop and Latin that their marriage had been facing serious problems. In his view, those issues were the reason Candy had taken her handgun into the bathroom that evening.
He explained that just 2 days earlier, they had been finalizing the division of their property. During that conversation, Candy said that one of the items she wanted to keep was her handgun. Dan said he retrieved it from the safe and gave it to her. >> You don’t want some of this now? We touched tonight. You know how much she loves you? Nobody has ever seen you guys love each other.
She loves you, man. I think so, too. You love that she loves you all of a sudden. So I don’t want to let her go. >> According to Dan, Candy came home that evening with food and realized there was a problem with their asset division plan. Specifically, she was in the process of trying to purchase her own home in Cary, the town where she had grown up and where she could be closer to her parents.
Dan believed that the house would also have to be included in the division of assets along with everything else they owned. He said the news hit Candy hard and came as a major blow to her. >> She got home. You know she gives us some down time. Whatever final lesson And she looked at She realized that the house has to be liquidated, too.
Yes. And uh she upstairs. She was taking a shower before bed. I heard the [ __ ] water. So, I heard the [ __ ] bathroom and uh >> Dan stated clearly that he heard the sound of water filling the bathtub. When he went into the bathroom, he initially thought the tub might have overflowed. However, he later told detectives that the water was only running in a small stream.
He also said that the bathroom door was open. A short time later, he heard a noise that sounded like something had fallen onto the floor. Despite being a former Marine with a 20-year career in law enforcement, as well as a firearms instructor, and a member of a SWAT team, Dan claimed that he did not recognize the sound as a gunshot.
>> It was first and foremost I didn’t hear the shot. And uh I started watching TV, drank a beer, looked at my list, trying to think, you know, uh I guess I lost track of time. But was it >> Any reason gunshot was to be when you were taking a shower? >> I showered before you did. But I showered Mhm. >> When? When was that? >> 2:30 or so.
>> Before his hands were covered with evidence bags and swabbed for gunshot residue testing, Detective Latin noticed something unusual. Dan slipped both of his hands into his pockets and began rubbing them against the fabric of his pants. The movement was so obvious that the detective had to stop him and instruct him to keep his hands away from his clothing.
Ultimately, Dan’s gunshot residue test came back negative. Kendy, however, was found to have a measurable amount of gunshot residue on her hands. Investigators found no trace of Dan’s DNA in the bathtub. His DNA was, however, recovered from the magazine of a handgun that was found inside Kendy’s purse on the bathroom counter.
From the house, Dan called both children, his stepdaughter Brooke and his son Wyatt. As soon as Brooke heard that her mother had died in what Dan described as a terrible accident, she immediately accused her stepfather of murder. No one initially informed Kendy’s parents, despite the fact that she was extremely close to them and had spoken with them only hours before her death.
The following day, they learned about the tragedy on their own after driving to Athol to find out why they could not reach their daughter. In fact, after Kendy’s death, Dan never spoke with his father-in-law again. He only contacted the funeral home to pay for his wife’s cremation, but he did not attend her funeral.
Kendy Howard’s autopsy was performed by Dr. John Howard of the Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office in Washington State. Despite sharing the same last name, he was not related to either Daniel or Kendy. The autopsy took place the day after her death on February 3rd. Nearly every law enforcement officer who worked the case arrived at a similar conclusion.
The way Kendy was found, combined with her husband’s behavior, appeared highly suspicious. From patrol officers to crime scene specialists and detectives, few believed the death had occurred the way Dan described it. His extensive law enforcement background made it difficult for investigators to accept his claim that he failed to recognize the sound of a gunshot.
His professional training also meant he understood how a crime scene could be staged. Investigators theorized that Candy may have been killed before the gunshot, possibly through strangulation, and that her body was later placed in the bathtub. Doctor Howard, however, reached a different conclusion.
He found no evidence supporting a cause of death other than the single gunshot wound. As a result, the official cause of death was listed as a gunshot wound to the head, while the manner of death was classified as undetermined. During nearly 30 years of marriage, Candy and Dan had gone through several difficult periods.
The former state trooper had also found himself on the wrong side of the law more than once. In 2013, prosecutors in Cassia County alleged that Dan had threatened to kill one of his closest friends, a man named Matthew Wood. The accusations came after Candy reportedly admitted to having an affair with him. According to court records, Dan poured syrup into Matthew’s vehicle, left him threatening and insulting messages, stole his mail, and even fired a shotgun at his house.
Dan admitted to some of those actions, though not all of them. The judge later stated that, in his opinion, Daniel Howard had been under severe psychological strain after returning to duty following a 2011 incident in which he shot and killed a woman while performing his duties as a law enforcement officer. Not long afterward, he learned of his wife’s affair with his best friend.
Dan ultimately received a suspended 3-year prison sentence. That Candy was unhappy in the marriage seemed increasingly clear. Brooke later said that Dan acted very differently in public than he did behind closed doors. Around other people, he was attentive and affectionate toward his wife. When they were alone, he regularly belittled her.
He called her insulting names, including fat, stupid, and worthless. Over time, the 48-year-old woman developed deep insecurities about her appearance. She pushed herself through strict diets, went to the gym at 4:00 in the morning, and eventually scheduled cosmetic surgery. Brooke also claimed that Dan’s behavior went beyond verbal abuse.
In July of 2020, only months before her death, Kendi sent friends photographs showing bruises on her arms and chest. Dr. Howard’s findings dealt a significant blow to the investigation. His medical conclusions conflicted with the prosecution’s primary theory that Dan had staged a gunshot scene in the bathtub to cover up a murder.
One of the biggest issues with Dan’s account involved the motive he attributed to Kendi. He repeatedly described his wife as overly emotional. He told detectives more than once that he wanted her to seek professional help and begin taking medication. Friends and family, however, painted a very different picture.
They described the mother and grandmother as upbeat, optimistic, and excited about the future. For more than 10 years, Kendi worked in the supply department at Cassia Health. Her co-workers knew her as kind, friendly, and easy to be around. In her free time, she enjoyed hunting for antiques, spending time outdoors, and relaxing with bubble baths.
Kendi was highly social and stayed in regular contact with family members. Just hours before her death, she had spoken with her mother. They discussed new furniture for the house she planned to move into in Cary. Kendi had already submitted her resignation from work as she prepared for the move. She had requested letters of recommendation for future job opportunities and talked about her dream of opening a small antique shop in her hometown after relocating there.
Major changes were also taking place in her personal life. Beginning in the spring of 2020, Kendi had rekindled a relationship with her high school sweetheart, Daniel Pratt. After graduation, he remained in Cary and became a close friend of Kendi’s parents, Janie and Wendell Wilkins. Kendi and Daniel had always cared about each other, but in recent months they had begun spending a great deal of time together.
They went hiking, fishing, and searching for antiques. On January 29th, just days before her death, Kendi purchased a cosmetic surgery package known as a mommy makeover. The procedures included a tummy tuck and breast augmentation. Kendi was making plans for the future. By all appearances, she was moving forward and beginning a new chapter of her life.
On the morning of January 29th, her boyfriend, Daniel Pratt, received a call through Facebook Messenger from Kendi’s phone. When he answered, the line was already open. Kendi and Dan were arguing. Fear was clearly audible in her voice. Then she screamed, “What are you trying to do?” she screamed.
“Let me close the door.” About 15 seconds later, Daniel ended the call and immediately contacted Kendi’s parents. He feared that intervening directly might only make an already dangerous situation even worse. Janie and Wendell Wilkins then called the sheriff’s office and requested that deputies respond to their daughter’s home.
>> Hi, Kendi. Janie. >> Hi, Kendi. I’m Daniel Pratt. They’re calls from a home invader, Kendi. You might want to come and talk to me. >> Kendi met the responding officer at the the and quietly led him inside. >> Now, you must be Mr. Houer, Daniel? You would you go by Mr. Houer or Daniel? Or or Dan, I guess. You mind if we talk to you guys really quick? >> Behind the closed bedroom door, Candy spoke in little more than a whisper.
>> I see your your friend and your mom is kind of concerned about you. I’m not sure who called us this time. I just want to make sure we’re on the same page and I feel a hatchet. Your friends are a lot more worried about you than just you know, mom just sent you home to sleep and nothing happens, man. And then they would be confiscating but Okay.
So, when Okay. When you woke up, what was he I don’t know what he Okay. Have you been stabbed or did you say anything? Say anything? Well, you I know, but that’s why I’m here. But then you’re both sent to school to get help. I don’t know. Okay. I get that, but when your safety is questioned, it’s not causing problems, it’s protecting yourself, right? >> She told the officer that she could not discuss the details while Dan was still in the house.
However, she made it clear that she had asked her husband for a divorce earlier that evening. At that point, she wanted to gather her belongings and leave. >> Okay, well, we’ll go more about that later. Do you have a bag or a suitcase up here on the ground or anything? >> After Candy left the house and went to Carrie, she told her boyfriend Daniel and her parents what had happened that night.
She said she woke up in the middle of the night and found her husband standing over her bed. He was dressed entirely in black, wearing gloves, and holding objects in both hands. One of those objects, held directly above her, was a pillow. She could not clearly see what was in his other hand, but the look on Dan’s face as he stared down at her terrified her.
She later said it felt as though he was looking straight through her. Kendy became convinced that Dan intended to kill her. She quickly called Daniel Prahl, and after the connection was lost, she locked herself inside the bathroom. She then stayed on the phone with her parents until the sheriff’s deputy arrived.
In the days that followed, her loved ones begged her not to return home. By then, she had come to believe that the object in Dan’s other hand was most likely a handgun. She had also noticed a firearm magazine in the bedroom, but by the time law enforcement arrived, it was gone. The very next day, however, Dan began trying to reconcile with her.
He called her 26 times, insisting that everything had been a misunderstanding. He told her he accepted the divorce. He said she could come back home and that they could work everything out peacefully. Kendy was eager to finalize the divorce paperwork as quickly as possible. She also still had a few final commitments in Athol before her move, including an appointment for new glasses and a scheduled manicure.
In addition, she needed to wrap up matters at work before relocating. For those reasons, she ultimately decided to return. He got caught in the act. “He’s not stupid enough to try something like that again,” she said. Her father gave her a handgun for protection, and once again urged her to think carefully about her decision.
It was the last time he would ever see his daughter alive. The investigation continued for 2 years before prosecutors in Cassia County concluded that they had enough evidence to charge Daniel Howard with murder. He was also charged with domestic violence based on the bruises Kendy had shown to others in July of 2020.
Prosecutors built much of their case around a famous quote from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, “When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable it may seem, must be the truth.” >> Having the ability to read a crime scene and collect evidence also gives you the ability to stage a crime scene and not leave evidence.
Three questions. Who? Who had the opportunity? Well, Dan was the only other one in the house. Evidence will show you that. How? Who had the ability to stage a crime scene? Dan had the law enforcement training and experience needed to hide or leave little evidence at the scene. Why? What’s the motive? Kandi was going to take half of everything in the divorce.
$1 million. When you see all the evidence, you will conclude that this case the evidence is not impossible and has not been eliminated and therefore we’ll be asking you to find uh the defendant not guilty. >> Kandi’s boyfriend, Daniel Pra, testified before the jury about the cheerful, energetic woman he had known for most of his life.
He spoke about their rekindled relationship and the plans they were making for the future. Daniel was not only Kandi’s new romantic partner, but also the real estate agent helping her purchase her new home. >> James, was there a time that you were in love with Kandi? >> Absolutely. >> And in the course of your relationship, did you fall in love with her? >> Yes.
>> Did you tell her that you loved her? >> Yes, I did. >> Did she tell you that she loved you? >> Yes. >> Is that something that you said to each other frequently? >> We did. >> Candy had also discussed her divorce consultation with Daniel Pra. According to him, her attorney explained that the purchase of her new home should not be affected by the divorce proceedings.
Because the transaction had not yet been completed, the house could not be divided as marital property. Legally, it was considered a debt obligation rather than an asset subject to division. Despite that, when Dan explained what he believed was his wife’s motive for suicide, he insisted that she had supposedly realized her dream home would have to be sold and the proceeds divided equally.
Investigators later found notes written in Dan’s handwriting on the notebook listing the couple’s assets. In those notes, Candy’s new home in Cary had been included among the properties to be divided. It seemed unlikely that Candy would have agreed with that interpretation and then suddenly been devastated by the news since her own attorney had already told her that would not happen.
The chances of her losing the house were slim. Dan, however, did not know what her attorney had advised. Several people close to Candy, including Daniel Pra, her daughter Brooke, her best friend, her brother, and her parents testified that she disliked firearms. She never used them and no one had ever seen her load a handgun. >> To your knowledge, did Candy ever know how to do that? >> Not to my knowledge.
>> Candy’s brother Brian, with whom she was extremely close, told the jury that Dan had been acting unusually suspicious in the days leading up to her death. He said Dan repeatedly questioned him about whether Candy was having an affair and if so, who she was involved with. Brian testified that he did not believe Candy was cheating on her husband, although he was aware that she wanted a divorce.
>> Because I didn’t know um about the boyfriend. I had suspicion, I asked, and I was told no, they were just friends. And so, I left it at that, you know. >> Who was your suspicion? >> Daniel Broaddus. >> Just days before Kandi’s death, Brian shared those suspicions with Don Howard. One of the biggest unresolved challenges for the prosecution remained Dr.
John Howard’s conclusion regarding the cause of death. Only a few months after performing the autopsy, he retired. According to his colleague, Dr. Jennifer Nara, during his final months on the job, he seemed preoccupied with retirement and spoke about little else, as though he had already mentally moved on from the position.
It was also revealed that in 2018, 14 death classification cases handled by Dr. Howard had been formally questioned and were undergoing review. Prosecutors argued that Dr. Howard’s conclusions in Kandi’s case were simply wrong. In their view, after decades in the profession, he had become careless and settled on the most straightforward explanation without fully considering all of the evidence.
Dr. Jennifer Nara was later tasked with reviewing the case file and re-evaluating her former colleague’s findings. During that review, she identified bruising in approximately 30 different locations on Kandi Howard’s body that had occurred before her death. >> So, the bruises that I pointed out in the photos that we all looked at, those were all injuries.
>> And those were deep due to blunt force trauma? >> Bruises, yes, due to blunt force trauma. >> One of those bruised areas was Kandi’s chest. In Dr. Nara’s opinion, that injury pattern could be consistent with someone’s airway being obstructed. Kandi also had a second-degree burn on her arm.
According to the prosecution’s experts, such an injury would have caused significant pain if she had been submerged in warm or hot water while still alive. Prosecutors argued that the gunshot wound was inflicted after her death. In their view, that theory explained why there was so little blood at the scene. It became one of the central arguments of the entire case.
Former Spokane County Medical Examiner Dr. John Howard then took the stand for the defense. It was the first time in his career that he had testified as a witness for the defense. He told the jury, “There are absolutely clear signs of a fatal gunshot wound. The extent of the hemorrhaging and bleeding is consistent with hundreds of other fatal gunshot injuries I have examined throughout my career.
” >> Was the amount of blood that you observed consistent with an intraoral gunshot wound? >> Yes. >> Okay. >> Two weeks into the trial, immediately after the prosecution finished presenting its case, the court recessed for a 3-day weekend break. On Friday evening, Dan Howard was arrested by police at Spokane International Airport.
One of the conditions of his release on bond required him to be home by 11:00 each night. He was also prohibited from coming within 2 miles of the airport. After his arrest, defense attorneys told the judge that Dan had simply accompanied a friend who was returning a rental car and had no intention of fleeing the state.
Prosecutors saw it differently. The timing of the trip appeared highly suspicious, coming immediately after the jury had heard what the state believed was an exceptionally strong case against him. Dan’s bond was revoked, and he was transferred to the Cassia County Jail for the remainder of the trial. During her closing argument, Deputy Prosecutor Julia Skogstad brought together all of the key pieces of the case.
She argued that Kendi was a cheerful, active woman with plans for the future. The investigation, according to the prosecution, showed that the gunshot was not a suicide and had been inflicted after her death. Prosecutors further suggested that Dan was familiar with a technique known as a carotid restraint hold.
The maneuver restricts blood flow to the brain, causing a person to lose consciousness. If maintained for a prolonged period, it can result in death, while leaving very few visible injuries behind. >> Hear the backwater running. Anyway, he says, “I heard something hit the floor.
Didn’t it sound like a shot?” The same defendant whose father testified that he’s completely deaf in one ear. So, he is a deaf in one ear, prior law enforcement officer who was on SWAT and was a firearms instructor. He cannot recognize the sound of a gunshot going off in a small room with an open door in his house. But, he can hear the backwater running? And Howard is an ex-Marine.
He’s trained in that carotid restraint. He knew the dangers of that hold, the lethality of it. He had worked in law enforcement for a very long time, not just as a trooper, although troopers go to many fatal scenes, but beyond that. He’s SWAT, firearms instructor, defensive tactics instructor, and with knowledge of DNA, fingerprints, ballistics.
>> Defense attorney, Jason Johnson, presented the jury with a very different version of events. During his closing argument, he urged jurors to carefully examine the evidence and not accept the prosecution’s theory as the only possible explanation for what happened. According to Johnson, the case contained numerous unanswered questions that, in the defense’s view, had never been satisfactorily resolved.
He argued that Kendi was going through a midlife crisis, was involved in an affair, and had been living what he described as a double life. The defense maintained that many of the personal circumstances surrounding her life had not been properly considered during the investigation. Johnson contended that these factors could have been important in understanding what was happening in the days leading up to her death.
In his view, the prosecution’s case contained significant gaps. He argued that prosecutors had presented a broad theory of the crime, but had failed to convincingly explain several critical details. Throughout his argument, Johnson repeatedly directed the jury’s attention to what he characterized as inconsistencies and unanswered questions.
The house had been searched twice under warrant, yet investigators never found any gloves. Johnson pointed out that law enforcement thoroughly examined the property, but failed to locate an item that, according to the prosecution’s own theory, could have played a key role in the events of that night.
For the defense, that was one of several facts that raised serious doubts. “How,” Johnson asked the jury, “could Dan have staged such a complex crime scene without wearing gloves?” He used that question to highlight what he believed were contradictions within the state’s theory. According to the defense, no clear explanation had ever been provided.
Only days earlier, Kendi had claimed that she woke up during the night and saw her husband standing over her dressed in black and wearing gloves. That incident became one of the most unsettling details in the entire case and was repeatedly discussed throughout the trial. Both sides referenced it, though they interpreted its meaning very differently.
Yet, investigators never found a set of black clothing matching Candy’s description. The defense emphasized that despite multiple searches, law enforcement failed to locate any items that directly matched what Candy had reported seeing. Johnson argued that this was another important inconsistency. The defense also maintained that prosecutors never fully explained the exact sequence of events.
According to Johnson, the jury was asked to conclude that Dan was guilty without being given a clear, detailed reconstruction of what supposedly happened step-by-step on the night of Candy’s death. Was Candy killed somewhere else in the house and then moved to the bathtub afterward? Johnson raised that question as an example of what he believed remained unresolved.
The defense argued that the evidence did not provide a definitive answer. According to Johnson, even the prosecution’s theory regarding the manner of death contained contradictions. He concluded by reminding jurors that any reasonable doubt must be interpreted in favor of the defendant. For that reason, he urged them to carefully evaluate every inconsistency and critically examine the case presented by the prosecution.
>> Not used. We should place in the tub and then the water filled up and then shot. >> Uh, why is it there more water around? You know, the only part of water is there’s a damp in the bathroom. It’s not on the floor, it’s not um if the water is in there, then it already, then Dan certainly would have blood on him.
And again, it doesn’t explain there no gloves found, so he would have had to use his his uh hand um and scrub it and put someone else’s DNA on it. Uh so there the state hasn’t offered one theory on what happened. >> After 9 hours of deliberations, the jury reached a verdict. During that time, jurors carefully reviewed the evidence, witness testimony, and arguments presented by both sides.
Behind the closed doors of the jury room, the fate of one man hung in the balance, while tension filled the courtroom. With every passing minute, the anticipation among those waiting only grew stronger. As the jury discussed the case, family members, attorneys, and prosecutors waited for a decision that would bring a long and complicated trial to its conclusion.
After days of testimony and countless details presented in court, the final decision now rested entirely in the hands of the jury. When the jurors finally returned to the courtroom, the atmosphere became even more intense. Every eye was fixed on them, knowing that their decision would determine Daniel Howard’s future.
After 9 hours of discussion, they had reached a unanimous conclusion and were ready to announce their verdict. >> Count one, is the defendant Daniel C. Howard guilty or not guilty of domestic battery? Guilty. Count two, is the defendant Daniel C. Howard guilty or not guilty of murder in the first degree? Not guilty.
Is the defendant Daniel Howard guilty or not guilty of second degree murder? Guilty. >> In late May of 2024, Daniel Howard returned to court for sentencing. After months of investigation, a lengthy trial, and a guilty verdict from the jury, the case was approaching its final chapter. The courtroom was filled with attorneys, family members, and others who had closely followed the case for a long time.
Only one critical step remained, determining Howard’s punishment. Less than 2 months after his conviction, Dan had reportedly lost 50 lb as a result of fasting. His appearance had changed dramatically. According to reports, the prolonged refusal to eat had taken a significant toll on his physical condition. When he appeared in court, many people immediately noticed how much weight he had lost compared to earlier hearings.
It became yet another striking detail in a case that had already drawn considerable public attention. Before the sentence was announced, Dan continued to maintain his innocence. Despite the jury’s verdict and the evidence presented during the trial, he refused to accept responsibility for what had happened. Standing before the court as his future was about to be decided, Howard remained steadfast in his position.
He continued to insist that he had not committed the crime for which he had been convicted, even as the case was reaching its final conclusion. >> I know that last year I assured you that uh people betrayed >> Sometimes the the nature and gravity of the offense standing alone is sufficient to justify a fixed life sentence. And that is what I’m going to impose here.
>> First Judicial District Judge Lamont Barich sentenced Daniel Howard to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The ruling brought a final conclusion to a case that had remained the focus of investigators, prosecutors, and Kandi’s family for years. In addition to the life sentence, Howard received a 10-year prison term for domestic violence.
The court ordered that sentence to run concurrently with his life sentence. While the additional term did not increase the amount of time he would spend behind bars, it served as a separate acknowledgement of the abuse that the court concluded had occurred within the marriage. By the time the trial was over, Dan had become completely estranged from his children.
The case not only resulted in a conviction, but also left lasting scars within the family. What had once been a family was now permanently divided by tragedy and years of accusations. His daughter, Brooke, testified against him, telling the court about what she described as his abusive treatment of her mother.
Her testimony became one of the most emotional moments of the trial. She detailed what she said had taken place behind closed doors for many years. For those in the courtroom, her words painted a painful picture of the fear and tension that she claimed existed within the household. Reports indicated that Wyatt accepted his father’s guilt almost immediately after learning of his mother’s death.
For him, the tragedy became the moment when many events and memories suddenly seemed to fit together. According to those accounts, he had little doubt about his father’s responsibility for what had happened. During sentencing, Judge Borex specifically addressed Howard’s character and the likelihood of rehabilitation.
After reviewing the evidence, the circumstances of the crime, and the defendant’s conduct, he concluded that Daniel Howard’s chances of rehabilitation were extremely low. That finding became one of the key factors influencing the court’s final decision. As he concluded his remarks, Judge Borex said, “You killed a woman who brought life and light to everyone around her.
You extinguished that light because of your own pride and greed.
