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Nikki Sue Entzel was found guilty of conspiring to kill her husband Chad Entzel in December 2019, according to a report by the Bismarck Tribune.
The outlet stated that the 39-year-old woman from North Dakota was convicted by a jury on Tuesday, October 4, 2022. Nikki Sue Entzel was convicted on one count each of conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit arson, and conspiracy to tamper with physical evidence.
During the trial, prosecutors made a case on how Entzel and Earl Howard had plotted to kill her husband for his life insurance money. Prosecutors argued that the co-defendants and alleged lovers tried to cover up the murder by setting fire to the home with Chad's body still inside.
Investigators revealed that Nikki Sue Entzel’s husband died from two gunshot wounds.
In October 2021, Nikki Sue Entzel’s co-conspirator Howard accepted a plea deal after prosecutors offered him a 25-year-sentence in exchange for a guilty plea. The 43-year-old from Ontario, Canada, pleaded guilty to arson, conspiracy to commit arson, conspiracy to commit murder, and conspiracy to tamper with physical evidence.
While the suspects pleaded guilty to similar charges, the defense team failed to establish who shot the victim. The prosecutors, meanwhile, alleged that a surveillance video showed the suspects entering Entzel's home on December 30, 2019 at around 7 pm. The couple were then seen leaving the house nearly an hour later.
Prosecutors said that investigations revealed that Chad was shot twice early in the morning on December 31, 2019. The suspects had allegedly tried to stage the crime scene to make it look like a suicide. They also tried to set fire to the bedroom with a propane heater. However, it didn't catch fire and the two returned a while later to move the heater and try again.
On January 2, Nikki called 911 to report a possible fire at her and Chad's house. When police reached the couple's Bismarck home, they found Chad on the floor of his bedroom and a small fire atop a basement furnace.
During the trial, jurors heard testimony that purported the suspect’s husband was physically abusive and was a hard drinker. Witnesses to the prosecution, like Chad Entzel’s friends and family, denied the claims and described him as a non-violent man who was a social drinker.
Nikki Sue Entzel Bought renters insurance months before killing her husband
Prosecutors told the jurors that Nikki Sue Entzel was the sole beneficiary of a $600,000 life insurance policy her husband had bought in 2018. They added that in the months leading up to the murder, Nikki purchased a renter’s insurance policy on the home she shared with her husband.
According to Inforum, during the closing argument, prosecutors asked the jury to consider the motive behind taking out insurance, shortly before killing her husband. They said:
“If you don’t have a plan to kill the husband and set the house on fire, why does he need a copy of her renter’s insurance?”
Prosecutors added that "she needed to show him" that the plans were in place.
At the time of writing this article, authorities were yet to set a date for Nikki Sue Entzel's sentencing.
