PALM BAY, Fla. (Court TV) — A Florida man is standing trial on charges he murdered his girlfriend, buried her and then dug up her remains to dispose of them again.

Daniel Loren Stearns, 35, is charged with second-degree murder, tampering with evidence and abuse of a dead body in the death of Nancy Howery, 44, who disappeared on Feb. 15, 2023.

Daniel Stearns enters a Florida courtroom on the first day of his murder trial. He’s accused of fatally shooting his girlfriend, burning her body and scattering her remains. (Court TV)

Investigators learned that Stearns and Howery had been in a relationship for two years and had been arguing in the hours before she was last seen. A friend of Howery’s said that she had heard the couple arguing over the phone on Feb. 15 and making plans to meet to ma

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