A Florida court handed down a life sentence on Wednesday to a man who murdered a woman he connected with on a dating app, driven by anger over her not adhering to his “relationship rules.”
Daniel Stearns, 35, was found guilty earlier this month, according to WESH.
His arrest came in March 2023 after law enforcement tracked his movements to an undeveloped area in Palm Bay, known as “The Compound.” There, authorities discovered the remains of 44-year-old Nancy Howery, as detailed by CrimeOnline.
Howery, who was a mother to two young children, was reported missing on February 18 after she didn’t show up to collect her kids from school. Her vehicle was subsequently found deserted.
According to Stearns’ arrest warrant, tensions had been escalating between him and Howery in the days leading up to her disappearance. Police surveillance captured Stearns traveling from his residence to The Compound.
The warrant further revealed that law enforcement suspects Stearns fatally shot Howery during a dispute on February 15, subsequently dismembering and incinerating her body. Her remains were uncovered in at least five separate locations within the sprawling 12-square-mile area known as The Compound.
At the sentencing hearing on Wednesday, prosecutor Samantha Barrett told the judge that Stearns “was angry at Ms. Howery,” Law& Crime reported.
“He was jealous, because she was seeing other men and that their relationship was not exclusive,” the prosecutor said. “She was not, to quote him, ‘following his relationship rules.’”
Howery’s ex-husband, Todd Howery, also spoke at the hearing.
“What he has done to Nancy was demented and defective,” he said. ” … It wasn’t just a murder, okay? It was a savage slaughter.”
Stearns was sentenced to life in prison for murder and more than 22 years extra for abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence.
