According to court documents, the charge of murder against Earl Howard was dropped on Thursday.

Howard, along with Nikki Sue Entzel, were accused of trying to kill her husband, Chad Entzel.

Chad’s body was discovered in January of 2019 after a house fire. An autopsy later showed that he died of gunshot wounds.

Authorities say Nikki Sue and Howard were in a relationship and plotted the victim’s death with plans to cash in on a life insurance policy. Several other charges still remain, including conspiracy to commit murder, arson and tampering with evidence.

Nikki’s charges remain.

A South Central District judge ruled in 2020 that Howard and Nikki Sue will be tried together. It’s scheduled to begin on May 17.