Fla. Man Convicted of Killing, Dismembering Mom of 2. Prosecutors Say He Was Angry She Wanted to Date Other People By Christine Pelisek

A Florida man was convicted earlier this month of fatally shooting a mother of two, then dismembering and burning her body before burying her remains.

Daniel L. Stearns, 35, was found guilty on Oct. 6 of second-degree murder, abuse of a dead human body and tampering with or destroying evidence in connection with the death of 44-year-old Nancy Howery, according to a press release from the Office of the State Attorney 18th Judicial District.

Howery was reported missing by her ex-husband on Feb. 18, 2023, after she didn’t pick up her two children.

Her Honda minivan was found abandoned in Southwest Palm Bay the following day, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors claimed that Stearns killed Howery — whom he had dated — after he became angry with her because she didn’t want to date him exclusively.

He allegedly shot Howery in the head, then dismembered and burned her body before burying her remains in The Compound, an unincorporated area of Palm Bay.

According to prosecutors, Brevard County Sheriff’s Department agents interviewed Stearns within a week of the murder and began watching him as he made evening trips to The Compound. At one point, agents detained Stearns as he was dumping “something from a bucket” along the C-54 Canal, per the press release.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE‘s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

“Deputies found shovels in the bed and rear seat of Stearns’ truck,” the press release states.

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.

Stearns is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 3 following his conviction. He faces life in prison.