And you said he just
shot himself?
>> Oh, no. Why?
>> All right. Come on, Dan. I can't
understand you, okay?
>> [clears throat]
>> All right.
>> On the night of February 2nd, 2021, at
10:43 p.m., Dan Howard, a former Idaho
State Police officer, called 911 in a
fit of emotional hysterics.
He and his wife, Candy Howard, had been
married since 1994.
But now he was screaming to 911 that his
wife, Candy, had shot herself.
>> I want you to step out. Can you go out
to the front porch for me?
>> Yeah.
>> Okay.
Okay. I want you to go out front for me.
>> Wait with him.
Well,
you want me to take over or are you
going to
Okay, well, where is she at?
I don't know. Why don't you ask?
>> Sir, where is she?
>> She's in
>> She's upstairs in the bathroom.
>> She's upstairs in the bathroom?
>> Okay.
>> Upstairs in the
>> Let's go.
Do you have gloves?
>> No gloves.
>> Candy Howard was found dead, naked in
the bathtub of her home, with a gunshot
wound to her head. Candy's gun was
submerged in the bathwater. It had
originally been dispatched as a suicide
by her husband, but there were some
hidden clues that made officers
suspicious.
>> Send in medical.
>> Got that.
>> Yep.
>> Central 21
>> Do you have any
>> No. No heartbeat.
>> Meanwhile, outside, Kootenai County
Sheriff's Deputy Miranda Thomas was
keeping an eye on Dan. She was one of
the first officers to arrive.
Thomas noticed a duffel bag with what
she said seemed to be women's clothing
packed inside. She wondered if someone
had been planning on leaving the house,
but she couldn't think too hard about it
with Dan's howling and wailing in the
background.
>> Sir, what's your first name?
>> Dan.
>> Dan?
Dan, can you have a seat for me?
>> [snorts]
>> This cast.
>> Yeah, you can sit if that's better for
you.
If that's better for you.
I'm just trying to make you a little
more comfortable, okay?
Dan, my name's
Okay?
Dan, what can I do to help you right
now?
Okay.
I can see that knife. Don't reach for
it.
Thank you, sir.
>> [laughter]
>> Sir?
Any kids?
>> No.
>> Okay. So, there are the toys in Are
there any kids?
>> Yes.
>> Okay.
>> [snorts]
[snorts]
>> Sir, do you have anything else in your
pockets?
>> No.
>> Okay.
I know you're retired, right?
>> No, I'm not retired. I work.
>> Okay.
>> What's going on?
>> Sir, they have to do their job.
>> What is it?
>> They're going to
>> Like
>> Hold the scene in there. Medical's going
to go in there.
They're going to do their job.
>> Medical's going to go in there and do
their thing. This is their scene now.
>> Sir, stay [snorts] over here with us.
We're going to let them come up.
>> [snorts]
>> You still better standing?
>> As you can see, another key thing that's
been drawing attention to officers has
been Dan's behavior. Do you think that
he's genuinely grief-struck for his wife
or do you think it's all for show? Be
sure to let us know what you think
before you get to the end of this video.
>> I don't want you to pass out or
anything.
>> Let's go.
Please tell me, man.
What's going on?
I think I know. God damn it.
>> [panting]
>> going to be the ones
>> Dan, do you want medical to look at you
at all?
>> No.
>> Okay.
>> Oh, please.
>> [snorts]
>> Dan, is there anything I can do to help
you?
I know that that's a stupid question
really given the circumstances.
>> Hey, Dan.
>> Hey, Dan.
>> Dan.
Hey, Dan. I'm Deputy Wheeler.
I'm I'm sorry to inform you, but
>> [laughter]
>> your wife has passed.
>> No. God damn it.
>> And it's
Yeah, he's upset, but it's not
real waterworks or anything.
He's freaking out and like gagging, but
>> This one's interesting because as I was
saying, we can't peg him as a suspect or
anything, but
you know,
us in our line of work, we kind of know
what to do and what not to do. But, it's
funny that
>> Is anyone else here?
>> It's not funny haha, but the gun's in
the bathroom. Can we get fingerprints on
the gun?
So, in this case, GSR
on the hands.
>> He was telling us he was asking he was
like, "Well, what are they doing in
there?" And he's like, "That's a stupid
question. I should know that."
>> He didn't want to call
911.
>> Hey Deputy Miller.
I'll give you that in a second, sir.
>> I haven't even been up there. I was with
him.
I was sitting with him so he wouldn't
run across that whole driveway.
>> [snorts]
[snorts]
>> Was your question how long ago?
>> Yeah, how long ago?
>> He's trying to figure it out.
With her?
>> [snorts]
>> I don't know.
>> Okay.
>> don't know. I'm out of it.
>> It's It's about 11:15.
>> Maybe 9:30.
>> 9:30 or so?
>> I think
>> Okay.
>> I don't know. I might be wrong.
>> [panting]
>> Oh my god.
No.
>> You
What? You want me to Do you want me to
just come here and and meet you or
>> Oh my god, please just tell them.
>> You want Do you want me to let you tell
them or or
>> [snorts]
>> Do you Is there some shoes or something
I can get for you?
>> I'm fine.
>> Okay.
I'll just hang out with him.
>> Mhm.
>> Thank you.
>> After a sweep of the house, police begin
questioning Dan on every detail that
happened that night.
So, what what was going on tonight?
>> We're having marital problems.
>> Mhm.
And uh
Like the Is this divorce is already been
decided or is it
>> No, it was
>> But it's open for discussion?
>> Not her.
She wants a divorce one day, she doesn't
the next.
>> Okay.
>> She brought home divorce papers. Just
preliminary ones.
>> When was that?
>> Oh, a while.
>> Was this the night we got called out
here?
>> No, I don't know she had them then.
I I I filled them
mostly, I think, and
>> [snorts]
>> and uh
and
we're splitting
stuff.
I think I can make it so that it's It
was once she wanted the divorce.
It's a long time coming. I
work remote now and
we just grew apart, I guess.
>> And what are you doing these days?
>> Running equipment.
>> [snorts]
>> Who are you doing that for?
>> Uh you and I have been
>> Two on, two off type thing?
>> Three on.
>> Three on.
>> Anyway, uh
>> [snorts]
>> We uh
I'm sorry.
Um
We uh
We had a problem with uh Well,
>> [snorts]
>> We're of course discussing a
divorce.
And uh
>> [snorts]
>> she had up selling.
>> Dan claims that a looming divorce is
what drove his wife Candy to suicide,
but the house already provided enough
evidence. Candy Howard's gun was found
in the bathtub. Investigators said they
would have expected to see a lot more
blood in the bathtub if she had been
alive when she was shot.
Later on, when Dan Howard called his
stepdaughter Brooke Wilkins with the
news of Candy's death, investigators
said they could overhear Wilkins accuse
Dan of killing her mother. But despite
their suspicions, detectives said there
was not enough evidence at the scene to
arrest Dan. It took 2 years for
prosecutors to build their case,
but in July of 2023, Dan Howard was
arrested and charged with Candy Howard's
murder. He was also charged with
domestic battery from an incident 7
months before Candy's death. The
prosecution claimed Dan had killed Candy
by putting her in a carotid restraint
hold, a maneuver he had learned in his
law enforcement training.
On March 19th, 2024, the jury found Dan
Howard guilty of second-degree murder
and domestic battery.
Dan Howard was sentenced to life in
prison without the possibility of
parole. Let us know what you think about
this case in the comments below. For
more police body cam videos like this,
make sure to like and subscribe. See you
in the next one.