Teen Who Killed Father Moves Friends In For House Parties

A 20-year-old woman named Crystal Brooke Howell has admitted to killing her father and hiding his [...]

By Hunter Miller

A 20-year-old woman named Crystal Brooke Howell has admitted to killing her father and hiding his body in a shed. Her father, Michael Howell was 50-years-old and worked as the sports editor and writer for the Columbia County News-Times.

The young woman from Maggie Valley, North Carolina was 17 at the time when the murder that took place in 2014. She was sentenced to a minimum of 30 years in prison on a first degree murder charge.

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(Photo: Haywood County Sheriff's Department / The August Chronicle)

Crystal's father was taking a nap at their Sheepback Mountain home when she shot him in the back of the head.

For a month, Crystal hid Michael's body in a storage container in the shed. She proceeded to spend her father's money on moving friends into the house and throwing drug-fueled parties, according to the authorities.

In a Haywood County DA news release, Assistant District Attorney Jeff Jones said: "She then started to drive his car and spend his money. She had her friends move in, had a drug-fueld party, and even had a stripper pole installed in the kitchen."

On March 22, two men who were staying at the house went into the storage shed while cleaning and discovered Michael's body.

Anthony Talley, one of the men who spotted Michael's body, told the Augusta Chronicle, "I never want to see anything like that ever again in my life." He said, "It has ruined me."

Crystal's aunt, Brenda Ellis, talked to the Columbia County News and said that she is convinced that her niece is mentally ill.

"I can tell you there is a lot more wrong with Crystal than has come out," Ennis said. "There have been so many issues but they have compounded by all that she has been through over the years."

Ennis also said, "She's not a heinous monster. It is a heartbreaking tragedy, that's all I know. People need to understand mental illlness is serious and it can be pushed to the limit and I think this is what has happened."

Crystal was sentenced to 25 years in prison before she can apply for parole for killing her father. She was also given an extra five to seven for hiding her father's body.

For the duration of her sentence, Crystal will be incarcerated at the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections.

[H/T Daily Mail, Augusta Chronicle, Columbia County News]

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