20/20 Tonight

Who Is Earl Howard & Where Is He Now? 2025 Update & Background

by · December 25, 2025

Earl Howard was a 42-year-old married man from Belwood, Ontario, Canada, whose name would become central to one of North Dakota’s most shocking murder cases. In 2019, Howard met Nikki Entzel through an online relationship, and what began as a long-distance connection quickly escalated into something much more dangerous. By late 2019, Howard had crossed the border and traveled to North Dakota, where he spent time with Nikki and became romantically involved with her in person.

Surveillance footage captured the pair together in public places, including at a Walmart where they were seen kissing. Despite both being married to other people, Howard and Entzel developed plans for a life together, with prosecutors later arguing that the pair plotted to kill Nikki’s husband, Chad Entzel, in order to collect life insurance money and relocate to Texas.

Role in the Murder Plot

On January 2, 2020, Chad Entzel was found dead in his Bismarck home. He had been shot twice in the head with a shotgun, and the house had been set on fire in two separate locations to cover up the crime. Investigators quickly suspected foul play. Through phone records, surveillance footage, and witness interviews, authorities tied both Nikki Entzel and Earl Howard to the crime scene and to the events leading up to the murder.

During the investigation, both Howard and Entzel gave conflicting accounts. Howard claimed Nikki shot Chad and that he only helped by returning to the house later to set the fire and destroy evidence. Nikki, on the other hand, said she was out walking when the murder happened but also offered other contradictory versions in earlier interviews. Law enforcement found that both suspects were at or near the home multiple times that night.

Police also found surveillance footage of Howard purchasing supplies later used to ignite the fires. His actions were captured in the days both before and after Chad’s death, leading investigators to believe he played a direct and willing role in planning and executing the crime.

Plea Deal and Sentencing

Faced with mounting evidence, Earl Howard agreed to a plea deal in 2022. He pleaded guilty to four felonies, including conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit arson, and conspiracy to tamper with evidence. In exchange for the plea, prosecutors dropped the murder charge. The court sentenced Howard to 25 years in prison, requiring him to serve at least 21 years before becoming eligible for parole.

His plea helped secure the prosecution’s broader case, but it did not provide clarity on the central mystery—who actually pulled the trigger. Both Howard and Nikki blamed each other for the shooting. The forensic evidence, while extensive, could not determine which of them fired the shotgun that killed Chad Entzel.

Where Earl Howard Is Now

Earl Howard is currently serving his sentence in a North Dakota prison. Though his sentence is significantly shorter than Nikki Entzel’s life sentence, he will not be eligible for parole until serving over two decades behind bars. He did not appeal his conviction, and his legal proceedings concluded with the plea agreement and sentencing in February 2022.

Howard remains a convicted felon in one of the most high-profile homicide cases in the state in recent years. His involvement, from crossing international borders to conspiring in the murder of Chad Entzel, has made him a focal point of the story—particularly because of the mixed narratives between him and Nikki and the unanswered questions about what truly happened inside the Entzel home on that deadly night.

The 20/20 special “The Last Strike” aired interviews and interrogation footage showing Howard’s demeanor and defense. In his own words, he maintained that he did not pull the trigger, but admitted to playing a role in the crime’s cover-up. His sentence reflects the seriousness of his actions and the devastation caused by a plot fueled by deception, greed, and betrayal.

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Ryan Gill

Ryan is a passionate follower of true crime television programs, reporting on and providing in-depth investigations on mysteries in the criminal world.

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