A Florida man was convicted earlier this month of killing murdering a mother of two, dismembering and burning her body, and burying her remains.
According to a news release from the Office of the State Attorney 18th Judicial District, Daniel L. Stearns, 35, was found guilty on Oct. 6 of second-degree murder, mistreatment of a dead human corpse, and tampering with or destroying evidence in the death of 44-year-old Nancy Howery.
Howery’s ex-husband reported her missing on February 18, 2023, after she failed to pick up her two children.
Her Honda minivan was discovered abandoned in Southwest Palm Bay the next day, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors alleged Stearns murdered Howery, whom he had dated, after becoming unhappy with her for refusing to date him exclusively.
He allegedly shot Howery in the head, dismembered and burned her body, and buried her in The Compound, an unincorporated section of Palm Bay.
According to prosecutors, Brevard County Sheriff’s Department officers interrogated Stearns within a week of the murder and began following him as he made evening trips to The Compound. According to the press statement, investigators detained Stearns while he was discarding “something from a bucket” along the C-54 Canal.
“Deputies discovered shovels in the bed and rear seat of Stearns’ truck,” the news release reads.
Stearns stated that he and Howery were out for a gun lesson when they got into a dispute about dating, according to WFTV9. Stearns allegedly told investigators he was preparing to discharge his revolver when Howery charged him, according to WFTV9.
He informed investigators that “Howery forced him to kill her,” according to the site.
Stearns is due to be sentenced on December 3 after his conviction. He faces life in prison.
