A 75-year-old Forrest County woman faces life in prison after being arrested and charged with first-degree murder in relation to the 2018 shooting death of her husband, following the discovery of new evidence five years after the crime.
Forrest County Sheriff Charlie Sims said Harriet Mooney Howe of Dixie was arrested on July 20 for the alleged murder of her husband, George Howe, and booked into the Forrest County Adult Detention Center, where she is currently being held on a $1 million bond. At the time of George’s murder, investigators found circumstantial evidence, but nothing substantial enough to warrant the charge.
However, Captain John Tryner – who was one of the investigators who worked the incident when it occurred – was recently able to uncover additional facts that led to Harriet’s arrest.
“(Back in 2018, Tryner) had his thoughts, his opinions, and thought (Harriet) did it, but couldn’t conclusively say – with the limited evidence that we had – that she did it,” Sims said. “Her claim was suicide, but there was a DVR in the house, but we couldn’t download the information off of it.
“We even contacted the manufacturer and subpoenaed PIN numbers, but they didn’t comply the with the subpoena … and there wasn’t any technology in the state that could download that information. So it’s been sitting in our evidence locker for five years … and we actually received some (gunshot residue) evidence back in 2021, which brought it back to life for (Tryner), so he’s never given up.”
As part of his mission to close the case, Tryner took the DVR to agencies on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, which gave Forrest County officials conclusive evidence that Harriet committed the murder.
The official cause of death for George was listed as a single gunshot wound to the chest. In accordance with Section 97-3-21 of the Mississippi Code of 1972, “every person who shall be convicted of first-degree murder shall be sentenced by the court to imprisonment for life in the custody of the (Mississippi) Department of Correcetions.”
According to George’s obituary, which was listed in 2018 at www.forrestfuneralhome.net, he was born to George Howe Sr. and Elrita Howe in Springfield, Illinois. He was preceded in death by his parents and was survived by Harriet and two sisters.
