On December 5, 2023, Santa Rosa Circuit Court Judge Clifton Drake sentenced Courtney William Howell to two consecutive life sentences in prison in Florida’s Department of Corrections for two counts of Second Degree Murder. Courtney Howell had previously entered a guilty plea to the charges on September 8, 2023.
On September 13, 2020, law enforcement responded to the residence of John Hendricks, Jr. in Navarre, FL. At the time of the murders, Courtney Howell was living at the residence with his girlfriend Samantha Huffman and his stepfather John Hendricks, Jr. Howell attacked both Ms. Huffman and Mr. Hendricks with a knife and without provocation, stabbing each of them numerous times.
The arrest and investigation were conducted by the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant State Attorney Mark Alderman prosecuted the case on behalf of Ginger Bowden Madden, State Attorney for the First Judicial Circuit of Florida.
