Florida man convicted of murdering, dismembering, burning mother of two and scattering her remains
(Nancy Howery, Daniel L. Stearns, Image credits: Facebook)
A Palm Bay, Florida, man has been convicted of murder after he shot and killed Indian Harbour Beach mother Nancy Howery and hiding her remains in an undeveloped area known as “The Compound.” A Brevard County jury found 35-year-old Daniel L. Stearns guilty as charged on October 6 of second-degree murder, abuse of a dead human body, and tampering with or destroying evidence. Stearns now faces life in prison.
Note: The area known as “The Compound” in southwest Palm Bay is a largely undeveloped and abandoned property, spanning over 2,700 acres. Its defining feature is a large grid of unmaintained, paved roadways that were laid down for a failed real estate development in the 1980s. Due to its secluded nature, the area has gained a reputation for illicit activities, including illegal off-roading, dumping, and more serious crimes. ~ Ace News Today
During a five-day trial, prosecutors Samantha Barrett and Trevor Persenaire made the case that Stearns arranged to meet Howery – whom he had dated – in February 2023. Witnesses and evidence showed Stearns shot her in the head with a handgun, dismembered her, then burned and buried her remains in the unincorporated area west of Palm Bay.
Stearns had met Howery online and was angry that Howery wouldn’t date him exclusively, according to witnesses and records obtained from their mobile-phone accounts. Howery was reported missing February 18, 2023, by her ex-husband after she failed to pick up her children from schools in Satellite Beach. Her Honda minivan was discovered abandoned in Southwest Palm Bay the next day.
Within a week, agents with the Brevard County Sheriff’s Department had questioned Stearns, and the sheriff’s GAME OVER Task Force began surveilling Stearns’ nighttime trips to and from the Compound in his black Chevrolet pickup truck.
“Our investigation to this point has revealed that the suspect, Daniel Stearns, killed the victim and subsequently left her remains in a wooded area for several days. The suspect returned to the scene of the crime and then burned the victim’s body in an effort to destroy any evidence connecting him to the murder.
After burning the body, the perpetrator took the charred remains of the victim and scattered them in several locations, including burying them in multiple areas of the compound.” ~ Brevard County Sheriff’s Office
Agents detained Stearns as he was disposing of something from a bucket along the C-54 Canal. Deputies found shovels in the bed and rear seat of Stearns’ truck. A K9 deputy’s human-remains detection dog alerted to the presence of decomposition around those areas.
At trial, a forensic anthropologist testified that skull fragments recovered from the burial sites showed a bullet exit wound in the victim’s forehead. A woman’s middle finger recovered by crime scene investigators had a fingerprint that matched a known print from Howery.
Stearns claimed that he and Howery were out for a gun lesson when they got into an argument over dating, per authorities, WFTV9 reported. Stearns allegedly told investigators he was about to fire his gun when Howery charged him, per WFTV9.
He told investigators that “Howery forced him to kill her,” according to the outlet. ~ People
The jury deliberated three hours before returning its guilty verdict. Circuit Judge Kathryn Speicher scheduled Stearns’ sentencing for December 3, 2025.
For more on this gruesome and horrific story, see the video accompanying this article.
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(Source: Office of the State Attorney, 18th Judicial Circuit, State of Florida)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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