#UPDATE Michael C. Howard is out of jail today, just one week after confessing that he shot his 20-year-old son and burned his body.

December 9, 2024, Howard went before Judge Mixon in Sabine County where his bond was lowered from $20 Million ($10 million for each charge) to $1 million total. According to court documents: $750K for Murder and $250K for Tampering with Evidence/Corpse

Lead investigator J.P. MacDonough with the Sabine County Sheriff's Office released a statement on Tuesday, stating that Howard was out on bond and had been released on Monday after his hearing.

Howard presented a cashier's check, brought to the Sheriff's Department by his oldest son, in the amount of $1 million dollars. 

Judge Mixon placed several conditions on Howard for his release, including wearing a GPS ankle monitor and surrendering his passport. He doesn't have to remain in Sabine County as a condition of bond. Below is text from the District Court Order of Bond Conditions:

The following bond conditions will be imposed.

1. Remain within Sabine & Harris Counties, and within Jasper, San Augustine,
Angelina, Nacogdoches, Montgomery, and Polk Counties (within 5 miles of State
Highway 103 & Interstate 69).

2 . Provide all addresses & remain at those addresses and notify the Court and
Prosecutor in writing of any planned move. All moves must be approved in writing
prior to any move.

3. Remain at current employment and notify the Court and Prosecutor upon any
separation from employment. Address, phone number, supervisor's name(s) must
be provided to the Prosecutor's Office.

4. A curfew will be in effect. Defendant will be at his residence by 9:00 p.m. each
evening and remain there until 6:00 a.m. except when preapproved in writing for
work or medical care, and then only on direct route going to and from said locations,

5. Provide an accurate and complete description of any and all vehicles that the
Defendant will drive during the time he is out on bond, including but not limited to
make, model, color, owners), locations regularly parked, VIN, license plate number
and distinctive identifying accessories and/or modifications. Defendant will not
drive any vehicle that he has not provided information for in this manner.

6. Do not go within 1000' of any school, daycare, park, or other area where children
are known to congregate.

7. Support all dependents.

8. Commit no offense against the laws of this County, State, or the United States.

9. Avoid injurious or vicious habits, including but not limited to no use of alcohol,
illegal drugs or use any medication or drug in a manner for which it has not been
prescribed for use by the Defendant:

10. Avold person and places of disreputable or harmful character, including but not
limited to clubs, bars, or other establishments whose primary income is derived
from the sale of alcohol, and/or persons who are co-defendants of this Defendant,
have previously been convicted of any felony, who are currently on probation for
any crime, and or who currently have charges filed and are pending against them.

11. Submit drug testing urine and hair follicles, upon request by any probation officer,
law enforcement officer, court, prosecutor or any staff member of the same, within
24 hours of any request for the same, and pay any fees associated with the same.

12. Pay for and continuously wear, without any modification or tampering with any GPS
ankle monitor, at the request and specification of the Prosecutor's Office during the
duration of bond.

13. Remain within an electronic monitoring area for the ankle monitor, at all times.

14. Defendant will submit a DNA sample to the Sabine County Sheriff's Office.

PAUL A. ROBBINS
SABINE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY for the State

Attorney Michael Lamson for Defendant.

Deputies arrested Howard on Monday, December 3 on charges of murder and tampering with evidence/corpse. Story follows.

Truth is stranger than fiction. And the latest from Sabine County is bizarre, frightening and not at all what we residents have come to expect for one of our favorite weeks... that’s right; it’s Christmas time in Small Town, USA, and we are all  hustling and bustling to get ready for the annual Lion’s Club Night-Light Christmas Parade. This year’s theme is A Country Christmas and we are proud of our Southern roots. There’s something special about living in these Piney Woods where we all know our neighbors and live for lake country fishin’. The events of this week, however have been anything but warm and cozy. Instead, the small community of Fairdale has made national news. While we have been preparing for the Living Nativity and A Holy Night, murder and mayhem have moved in and stolen our peace on earth.

Let’s look at the timeline. On Monday, December 2, around 2 p.m. a Sabine County Sheriff’s Office Deputy was contacted via his work cell phone (remember this detail for later) by Michael C. Howard. Howard was calling to report that he had “accidentally” shot his own son, Mark Randall Howard. According to the father’s phone call, he had mistaken Mark for an intruder at his property. Howard went further to say that the shooting took place the day before. Yes, that’s right. Sunday night between 8:00 and 9:00 p.m, 18 hours earlier. This detail is mind-blowing, but the father’s phone call gets much more bizarre. He continues the detailed story by admitting that after he shot his son, he placed his body in a front-loading bucket of a backhoe tractor, drove almost two miles away to a remote area on his property (fyi- it’s all remote out there) and placed him on a pile of wood and other flammable materials which had been previously assembled. He then “cremated” his son, in accordance to what he “felt his son would have wanted.”

The statement we obtained from the Sabine County Sheriff’s Department switches from Howard’s phone call to deputies arriving on the scene Monday. The property is located at the 2500 block of Mount Sinai Road off of FM 3315, behind Fairdale Baptist Church where the aforementioned Living Nativity will be hosted  December 17 and 18. When the deputies arrived, they contacted Howard who advised them of the same information he reported in the phone call and noted again, “The whole thing was a horrible accident.” Howard also pointed out the shot gun that he claimed to have used in the shooting which was loated inside one of the Conexes which had been converted into a living area for him and his family. (A Conex is a shipping container) Deputies searched the structures and the area around the living quarters for Mark, but did not locate him. Howard then indicated the area which he had taken the deceased and the burn pile. The statement notes that this was located 1 1/2 to 2 miles away from the scene of the shooting.

At this point, the Texas Rangers joined the investigation. Search warrants were obtained, but night had fallen and the fire was still burning hot. Michael C. Howard was arrested and taken into custody by the Sabine County Sheriff’s office at this time on Monday evening. The arrest report states that Howard was taken into custody at 15:54 and booked in on the charge of murder at 1725. The arrest report also lists Howard as a resident of Houston with Lawyer as occupation. His wife, Lillian Howard, was given as his emergency contact. It also notes Howard is 68 years old, 6’2”, brown hair with hazel eyes, facial hair and glasses.

Back to the scene. Once a search warrant has been issued, officers cannot leave the scene until it has been executed. The deputies  remained overnight, protecting the evidence, until their investigation and collection could resume at dawn. Texas Rangers, along with the Sabine County Sheriff’s Deputies processed the scene and they did recover what they believe were body parts/bones, specifically a portion of the lower jaw (mandible) which contained teeth. All bones appeared to have been burned based charring and the area was heavy with soot and ash where the bones had been recovered. The remains were transported to the Jefferson County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Additional items of evidence were also recovered and there were also indications that the scene of the shooting had been washed or cleaned off using a water hose. All of these finding were collected and cataloged before Wednesday’s constant downpour. On Wednesday, Magistrate Court was held, where Justice of the Peace Henry Alvarado presided. Howard is being held currently at the Sabine County Jail for Murder and Tampering with Physical Evidence/Corpse in regards to the burning of the body. More charges are likely to come, according to District Attorney Paul Robbins. Howard’s bond has been set at $20 million, $10 million for each charge.

A press conference was held Thursday by lead investigator, J. P. MacDonough. The town of Hempill is definitely a buzz with the happenings of this holiday week. When the Reporter’s office began investigating on Tuesday, the town was talking, but no official news had been reported. Wednesday morning, we broke the story on our Facebook Page and were immediately met with doubt. Again, it’s so bizarre, surely it can’t be real?! Sadly, it soon was national news. Murder has once again come to Sabine County. We have so many questions. A few residents and business owners have noted that they had met Michael and Mark in the previous years. While Howard is far from a local, he has been coming to his property here for quite a while. He frequented Fairmount General Store and Grill as well as the Hardware store.

As the investigation continues, we will keep you up to date. Until then, we still have to strive for joy this December. Take time to remember the reason for the season and focus on all the wonderful things about our beautiful haven on Toledo Bend. We will see you at Hammock’s Annual Open House today and The Christmas Tour of Businesses tonight. Join me in praying for clear skies tomorrow for our Christmas on the Square and Lion’s Club Parade. Stay safe and warm.