A Hendersonville couple ran an audio production business and published self-help books out of their home while, according to a grand jury indictment, they were allegedly responsible for the death of their 10-year-old daughter nearly two years ago. Howard Carrithers Wimer, 76, and Universe Wimer, 52, were taken into custody on Tuesday and booked into the Sumner County Jail on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse.
The indictment alleges the couple killed their daughter, Passion Wimer, while perpetrating or attempting to perpetrate aggravated child neglect, according to Main Street Media of Tennessee. Passion died on November 24, 2024, at the Vanderbilt Pediatric ICU in Nashville after remaining on life support for nearly a week, according to an obituary posted by Hendersonville Memory Gardens. Howard Wimer was booked into the Sumner County Jail on October 13.
A Family, a Business, and a Public Persona
Passion Wimer was born in Malibu, California, in 2014 and was survived by an autistic, non-verbal brother, Bliss Howard Wimer, who turned 13 in March 2025, per the obituary. Obituary records list Howard and Universe Wimer as the girl's surviving parents. The couple operated Immersive Mixing, a 7.2.4 surround-sound audio mixing studio, according to the company's own site.
Howard Wimer also had a public career outside the studio. Before his arrest, he worked as a lecturer and author of self-help titles including “Inner Guidance and the Four Spiritual Gifts,” and he founded something called Inner Expansion Workshops. That public profile as a spiritual author and small business owner stands in stark contrast to the felony allegations the grand jury has now leveled against him and his wife.
How Tennessee's Felony Murder Law Applies
Both Wimers are being held on $500,000 bond each and are scheduled for arraignment in circuit court on November 6, per Main Street Media's report. Prosecutors are not required to prove the couple intended to kill their daughter. Under Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-13-202(a)(2), a killing committed during the perpetration or attempted perpetration of aggravated child abuse or aggravated child neglect constitutes first-degree murder without requiring proof of premeditation, according to Justia Law.
The companion child abuse charge falls under Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-15-402, known as Haley's Law, per Justia Law.
Part of a Busy Year for Child Welfare Cases in Sumner County
The Wimer indictment lands amid a string of child welfare and exploitation cases that have moved through Sumner County courts this year. Hoodline has previously reported on a Goodlettsville father and son jailed on child exploitation charges with bonds topping $2.6 million, and on a Portland, Tennessee man jailed on a $1 million bond after a Discord tip exposed abuse videos.
