The man who shot Indian Harbour Beach mother Nancy Howery and hid her remains across an undeveloped area of Palm Bay has been sentenced to life in prison.

DANIEL L. STEARNS, 35, was convicted at trial in October of second-degree murder, abuse of a dead human body, and tampering with or destroying evidence.

Brevard County prosecutors Samantha Barrett and Trevor Persenaire made the case that Stearns arranged to meet Howery – whom he had dated – shot her in the head with a handgun, dismembered her, then burned and buried her remains in the area called The Compound in February 2023.  Stearns had met Howery online and was angry she wouldn’t date him exclusively, according to witnesses and records obtained from their mobile-phone accounts.

“He took her to an isolated area of The Compound, and he came prepared,” Barrett said at Stearns sentencing hearing Dec. 3. “It’s clear this murder was committed with hatred, ill-will and spite.”

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Barrett asked for a life sentence without parole instead of the minimum mandatory 22 years for the second-degree murder conviction. Circuit Judge Kathryn Speicher agreed and also gave Stearns 22 years in prison for abuse of a dead body and 22 years for evidence tampering, terms to run concurrent with the life sentence. Parole does not exist in Florida.

Howery’s ex-husband, Todd, who now is raising their son and daughter alone, addressed the court on behalf of the children.

“What happened took away my children’s mother,” Todd Howery said.  “They don’t have a mother to share birthdays, prom, or wedding day for my daughter.” “What he did to Nancy was demented … a savage slaughter,” he said. “I don’t want my children to think that this perpetrator might get out someday.”