Ex-Idaho State Trooper on Trial for Wife’s Murder Arrested at Spokane Airport

A former Idaho State Police Trooper currently on trial for the alleged murder of his wife was arrested on Friday night at Spokane International Airport in Washington.

Daniel Howard, who is accused of faking his wife’s suicide after he allegedly choked her to death, was booked into the Spokane County Jail around 10:40 p.m. on Friday. He was later transferred to the Kootenai County Jail on Saturday, where he remained as of Sunday morning.

It’s unclear what Howard was doing at the airport, but his bond conditions included an 11 p.m. curfew and a requirement to stay two miles away from an airport, according to KHQ.

Howard has been on trial since earlier this month, with prosecutors alleging he attempted to frame his wife Kendy Howard’s death as a suicide by shooting her in the mouth after he fatally choked her. Her death came years after shady behavior by Howard, who was suspended from the Idaho State Police after he was accused of stealing ammunition, using a fake name for a motorcycle title application, and having an untagged deer.

Howard’s defense attorneys have claimed Kendy Howard died by suicide, though multiple experts have testified that trauma marks across her body indicated her death represented a homicide. A blood spatter expert also testified last week that, due to the trails of blood on her body, it appeared as though the body had been moved after her death.

Howard is scheduled to appear in court on Monday morning. The jury in his case was scheduled to begin deliberations this week, according to The Spokesman-Review. If convicted, Howard faces life in prison.