Man gets at least 21 years in prison for murder conspiracy

BISMARCK, N.D. – A man has been sentenced to serve at least 21 years in prison for plotting the death of a Bismarck man in what authorities say was a love triangle that involved a life insurance policy.

Forty-three-year-old Earl Howard earlier reached an agreement with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to four felonies in the death of Chad Entzel.

The body of the 42-year-old victim was found Jan. 2, 2020 after a house fire northeast of Bismarck. Entzel died of gunshot wounds to the head.

Investigators say Nikkisue Entzel and Howard were in a romantic relationship and that she took out a $26,000 life insurance policy on her husband in the days before his death.