Family picks up pieces after father's beating death

Here's what Terrence "Joe" Howell had to say about the fight that ended his life:

"was on my way to the store on my bicycle and these guys in a car came out of the appartments (sic) on Eldorado and accused me of messing with some girl and jumped me and started hitting & kicking me and then took off."

A handwritten, one-paragraph statement for the Douglas County Sheriff's Office was Howell's official word on what happened June 21 at 6:25 p.m.

Twenty-four hours later, Howell was dead, and four men were in custody charged with open murder in the beating death of the 54-year-old father known as "Joe."

Howell died June 22, one day before his 55th birthday, leaving behind a 12-year-old daughter everyone says was "the love of his life."

Howell's brother Michael and girlfriend Lena Puls drove from Myrtle Creek, Ore., to Gardnerville after Joe's death and spent the rest of the week packing up his apartment.

They hoped to leave soon with Howell's daughter Desi, and return to their family in Oregon.

On Thursday, as Michael Howell packed a U-Haul, he talked about what a devoted father his brother was.

"They don't say about what a terrific father he was and how she (Desi) has nothing now," Michael said.

"She never lacked for anything," he said.

Michael said he and Puls haven't questioned the little girl much about what led up to her father's death.

According to court documents, the girl had a "verbal dispute" with two other girls on June 21.

The defendants claim Howell had words with one of the girls who called her father. According to reports, Joe Howell was "jumped" by four men as he road his bicycle from the Gardnerville apartment complex to the store.

By the time deputies arrived, the fighters had dispersed and Howell walked home.

Officers questioned Howell at his apartment. He complained of stomach and shoulder pain and had a large bruise on his arm. He refused treatment by paramedics and drove himself to an emergency center where he was evaluated and sent home.

"Desi stayed by his side all night long," Michael said. "On Monday, she called 911, crying her daddy's in the bedroom and wouldn't wake up."

He was taken by CareFlight to Carson-Tahoe Regional Medical Center. Surgery was performed at 5 p.m., and Howell died at 6:45 p.m. June 22, according to court documents.

The cause of death is pending.

Desi stayed with family as Michael Howell packed up their possessions.

"She had every toy that ever came out of a department store," Puls said.

Howell and Puls had a stream of visitors at the Gardnerville apartment - staff from Minden Elementary School, fellow motorcycle riders, friends, and neighbors shocked that Joe had died.

"Everybody from school talked about what a great father he was," Puls said. "He took Desi to school every day and picked her up. He made sure she got her homework done and he went to every school program she was in - from kindergarten on up."

The couple packed up Desi's bedroom furniture and dozens of photos of her with her father.

"I found a picture of when that baby (Desi) was born. Joe is playing the guitar and holding on to her. He took care of Desi. She was his world," Michael said.

He said something happened to his brother when Desi was born. She is the youngest of his five children.

"My brother was no angel. In his earlier life, he didn't put forth a lot of effort for his family and kids," Michael said. "When Desi was born, something changed in his heart. He took classes to better himself as a person and a parent."

No stranger to Douglas County law enforcement, Howell was arrested in 2007 after his ex-girlfriend accused him of trying to kill her. He spent six months in Douglas County Jail until a jury acquitted him of all charges.

During that time, Desi was cared for by her grandmother.

Neighbor Janell Kuta has known the Howells for 20 years.

"Whenever Joe needed help, I was here," she said.

Kuta started to cry Thursday at the thought of Desi living in Oregon.

"I'm never going to see her again," Kuta said.

"That's not true, that's not true," Puls said. "You're too much a part of her life."

Other friends of Joe Howell echoed what a devoted father he was.

"Desi was his life," said Bonnie Burr. "He always provided a home for her, food and everything."

Burr said she and her husband Clarence became friends with Howell as he did work around their ranch.

He owned a garage door installation and repair business.

"Joe was always willing to help out," she said.

More than one person commented on Joe's appearance. He wore his hair and his beard long.

"I always told him, 'Joe, it's your appearance,' when he was having trouble getting a job. But I know that's the way he wanted to look. Once you got to know him, how he looked didn't matter," Bonnie said.

On his lawyer's advice, Howell even got a haircut and shaved his beard for his trial, but he wasn't happy about it. When the trial was over, the beard and the hair grew back.

Michael Howell wanted to emphasize what his called the "stupidity" of his brother's death.

"I want people to know how this little girl's world has been shattered over this stupidity," he said, as he packed up his brother's musical instruments, Native American art and his motorcycle.

"People's lives are being taken over stupidity," he said.

Puls said she regretted never meeting Joe.

"Just going through his things tells me he was a wonderful person," she said.

"Once you got to know him, it was impossible not to like him," Michael said.

Puls and Michael wanted to thank the community for their support in the days since Joe's death.

The Having Too Much Fun Club collected donations for Desi at a poker run Saturday.

"Joe was a good guy, we really appreciated him," said member Bill Donohoe.

"What a bond, what a community," Puls said. "We're thankful for all the support and donations we've received from the school faculty and the churches."

The family hopes to have a memorial for Joe in Gardnerville in a few weeks.

"This is where his life was; this is where his friends were," Michael Howell said.