Vernon Henry (born March 12/13, 1952) is an American murder suspect in the familicide killings in August 1996 of his wife and daughter in the

Athol, Idaho Athol ( ; is a city in Kootenai County, Idaho, United States. The population was 709 at the 2020 census, up from 692 in the 2010 census.

residence they shared. Though he hasn't been arrested as of 2022, he is still wanted by local and

Idaho State Police The Idaho State Police (ISP) is the statewide law enforcement agency for the State of Idaho. It began as the Bureau of Constabulary, created on May 18, 1919, under the new Department of Law Enforcement, to detect and investigate crime, "order abate ...

and the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

. According to police, Henry was an anti-government type survivalist who somehow generated money for funding his escape.

Family background and domestic violence

Vernon Henry's wife Connie Marie Henry (1953 or 1954–August 11 or 12, 1996) was under a strong

domestic violence Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes r ...

situation. She and her children were often attacked and verbally abused by Vernon during Connie's marriage with him. Among the oldest was Heather Jenee Henry (1978 or 1979–August 11 or 12, 1996). The couple often had major arguments according to the other children at their residence at the time. Police believe that he may have planned the murders ahead of time. Henry had an intense obsession with

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

and once worked at an

upholstery Upholstery is the work of providing furniture, especially seats, with padding, springs, webbing, and fabric or leather covers. The word also refers to the materials used to upholster something. ''Upholstery'' comes from the Middle English wor ...

shop in the area.

Shooting

On August 11 or 12, 1996, a heated and violent argument erupted: Connie Marie Henry said she'd had enough of Vernon being controlling and acting violent toward her and the children; she threatened leaving Vernon at that point. This was right after Heather Jenee (age 17 or 18) arrived home from a night with her boyfriend. After around five to eight minutes, Vernon Henry walked angrily to the closet of the residence, grabbed a

pistol A pistol is a type of handgun, characterised by a gun barrel, barrel with an integral chamber (firearms), chamber. The word "pistol" derives from the Middle French ''pistolet'' (), meaning a small gun or knife, and first appeared in the Englis ...

(or

revolver A revolver is a repeating handgun with at least one barrel and a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold six cartridges before needing to be reloaded, ...

) and fatally shot Connie Marie and Heather to death near the other children. According to the 12 year old son, Henry fled the scene in his red or maroon 1986

Toyota Camry The Toyota Camry (; Japanese: トヨタ・カムリ ''Toyota Kamuri'') is an automobile sold internationally by the Japanese auto manufacturer Toyota since 1982, spanning multiple generations. Originally compact in size (narrow-body), the Cam ...

four-door passenger vehicle. The Henry family's then 12-year-old son dialed the

9-1-1 911, sometimes written , is an emergency telephone number for Argentina, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Fiji, Jordan, Mexico, Pakistan, Maldives, Palau, Panama, Iraq, the Philippines, Sint Maarten, the United States, and Uruguay, as well as ...

emergency number; a daughter, age seven or eight, woke up after hearing the gunfire. Another daughter, age five, was not awakened by the shots.

In popular culture

Vernon Ray Henry was portrayed starting in 1996 on Fox's criminal catching show ''

America's Most Wanted ''America's Most Wanted'' (often abbreviated as ''AMW'') is an American television program whose first run was produced by 20th Television, and second run is under the Fox Entertainment#Fox Alternative Entertainment, Fox Alternative Entertain ...

'' (then hosted by John Walsh) Season 11 Episode 12 and on ''Unsolved Mysteries''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Henry, Vernon 1952 births American male criminals 20th-century American murderers Criminals from Idaho Fugitives wanted on murder charges Fugitives wanted by the United States Incidents of domestic violence Violence against women in Idaho Living people

Family background and domestic violence

Shooting

In popular culture

See also

References