Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Glen Henning
Richard Miller
ROSALIA - A tragic love affair culminated in the murder of a Rosalia man in the early 1980s, when 20-year-old Richard Miller from Lewiston shot Glen D. Henning, 48, with a .22 caliber rifle.
On Wednesday, October 7, 1981, just eight months after the fatal shooting, Miller was convicted of first-degree murder in Whitman County Superior Court.
The incident occurred on January 8, when Henning was shot while attempting to retrieve a cookie sheet from the oven of a camper stored in an outbuilding on his farm in Rosalia.
According to court documents, Henning entered the darkened shed around 6 p.m., raised a flashlight, and came face-to-face with a masked man holding a gun. As Henning turned to flee, he was shot in the back.
Henning was rushed to a Spokane hospital, where he underwent surgery.
Initially, the injury appeared minor, but further examination revealed that the bullet had traveled into a vein in his stomach and, rather than exiting, was pumped into his heart.
Despite efforts to save him, Henning died the next day, Jan. 9, 1981, from a .22 caliber bullet wound to the heart.
After his arrest, Miller voluntarily took a polygraph test.
While serving his life sentence at 20 years old, he agreed to testify against Neva Henning, Glen's wife, who was a school librarian.
Miller claimed that Neva had drawn him into a romantic relationship, convincing him that her husband was abusive and needed to be "rescued."
The jury found Miller's testimony credible, and the prosecution argued that Neva had manipulated him into committing the murder.
In return for his cooperation, Miller's sentence was halved, and he was released in 1990.
Following his release, Miller attended Spokane Community College and eventually settled in Airway Heights, where he briefly considered running for City Council-a move that stirred controversy in the late 1990s.
The case was fraught with theories, one being that Neva had promised Miller $10,000 from Glen's life insurance policy and a place to live on her farm in exchange for the murder.
Neva's trial began in late 1982, and it moved to Spokane because it was difficult to find an impartial jury in Whitman County.
Neva, described by some as appearing almost icy on the stand, was convicted of first-degree murder after three days of jury deliberation.
Miller had lived with the Hennings off and on for several years before the murder.
In June 1982, a letter from W. H. Westwood, Chief of the Veterans Insurance Division, was sent to the Whitman County Sheriff's Office, confirming that Neva's involvement in the murder precluded her from receiving the insurance payout.
Now 65, Miller resides north of Airway Heights, while Neva, now 90, lives in Spokane Valley. Both have been released from prison.
Glen Duane Henning, born on October 27, 1932, in Oakesdale, was survived by his three daughters, Glenna Jo, Sandee Sue, and Raelene Faye Henning.
He is buried in Spokane.
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Olivia Harnack is a Journalist at the Whitman County Gazette. Olivia is enrolled at University of Idaho and is majoring in digital film studies. She serves in the United States Army National Guard and is proud to serve Whitman County.
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