Photo: Lexington County Sheriff's Department
A father and son face charges in the shooting death of a man they claim intruded on their farm while wielding a machete.
Ryan Lindler Sr., 52, and Ryan Lindler Jr., 26, of South Carolina, were charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime, the Lexington County Chronicle reported. The younger Lindler is accused of shooting Kevin Lester Newhouse, 36, at the behest of the older Lindler.
“This all started with the Lindlers confronting Newhouse about a trespassing incident they said happened just before at another address,” said Sheriff Jay Koon in a release obtained by the newspaper. “Before the three men fought, the Lindlers prevented Newhouse from going back into his house.”
“Over the course of their investigation, which included interviews with both Lindlers and witnesses, detectives determined the elder Lindler told his son to shoot the victim,” Koon said. “The shooting happened after the elder Lindler had taken a machete away from the victim, who was unarmed when he was shot and lived near the Lindlers on Seleta Circle.”
Lindler reportedly used a handgun during the fatal shooting and, along with his father, tracked Newhouse to his residence after the alleged trespassing incident occurred, according to an incident report obtained by the Lexington County Chronicle. The younger Lindler said he spotted Newhouse on their property through surveillance cameras and went with his father to confront Newhouse.
Lindler said he tried talking to Newhouse who "didn't say much" before grabbing a machete and starting to swing at the farmers, according to the incident.
“[Lindler Jr.] then explained that he took out his gun and shot [Newhouse]," the arrest report states via the Lexington County Chronicle. "[Lindler Jr.] stated that people started to come out of the woods so they left. [Lindler Jr.] explained that he also called 911 about this incident. [Lindler Jr.] did explain that the gun and machete were in his truck. This information was passed on to detectives. [Lindler Jr.] had a 6 round Glock magazine in his pocket. The magazine had 5 Venom 9P VNM rounds and 1 Luger 9mm round.”
Both suspects were arrested on December 6 and booked into to Lexington County Detention Center where they were denied bond.