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Brevard County, Fla. — A Brevard County jury returned a guilty verdict late Monday night in the high-profile murder trial of 35-year-old Daniel Stearns, finding him guilty on all charges for the 2023 killing and dismemberment of his girlfriend, 44-year-old Nancy Howery.
Stearns was convicted of second-degree murder, abuse of a dead human body, and destroying or tampering with evidence, according to the State Attorney’s Office.
The Crime
Howery, a resident of Indian Harbour Beach, was reported missing in February 2023 after she failed to pick up her children. Investigators used cellphone records to trace her last known location to the Port Malabar Rifle and Pistol Club, where she had been with Stearns, who she was dating as she went through her divorce.
Detectives placed Stearns under surveillance and later observed him returning to a remote area of southwest Palm Bay known as The Compound, an abandoned development. Prosecutors said that’s where Stearns shot Howery during an argument, then burned and dismembered her body before scattering her remains across multiple locations in the area.
The Trial
Opening arguments in the case began in late September at the Moore Justice Center in Viera. The trial was presided over by Brevard Circuit Judge Kathryn Speicher.
Prosecutors presented forensic evidence and witness testimony alleging Stearns killed Howery during a fight, then attempted to cover up the crime through burning and dismemberment. Stearns claimed the shooting occurred after Howery allegedly lunged at him during an argument, but the jury rejected his defense.
The Verdict and Sentencing
After deliberations, the jury found Stearns guilty on all counts Monday evening. Sentencing has been scheduled for December 3 at 3 p.m. He faces the possibility of life in prison.
The case drew widespread attention in Brevard County due to its brutality and the methodical investigation that followed Howery’s disappearance.
