LEXINGTON, S.C. (Court TV) — A father and son charged with murder for the death of a man on their property were released from jail on bond.
Ryan Lindler Sr. and Ryan Lindler Jr. were arrested and charged with murder after shooting a man they say was holding a machete who trespassed onto their property.
Ryan Lindler Sr. (left) and Ryan Lindler Jr. (right) are charged with murder in the death of Kevin Newhouse. (Lexington County Sheriff’s Department)
Judge Walton McLeod IV granted the pair a $150,000 bond after a Dec. 14 hearing which saw approximately 150 people packed into the courtroom and another 200 waiting outside, according to the Post and Courier. Many of those in attendance were there to support the Lindlers.
Investigators with the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department said the Lindlers intended to confront the victim, Kevin Newhouse, about an alleged trespassing incident at another address. Police said that Newhouse was armed with a machete at one point, but was disarmed by the Lindlers.
“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,” Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said. “The shooting happened after the elder Lindler had taken a machete away from the victim, who was unarmed when he was shot.”
Investigators said that Newhouse and the Lindlers lived near one another on the same street.
“It’s going to come down to property rights, vandalism, a history of trespassing — the right to defend others,” attorney Eric Bland, who is representing the Lindlers, told Fox News. “These cases will test the right of a property owner to protect their property from trespassers and vandals, including those who may bring deadly weapons onto the property of another.”
Newhouse’s mother witnessed the shooting and read a statement to the court during the bond hearing, according to the Post and Courier. “I’ve been unable to sleep, unable to eat, unable to even stay at my warm house because I am plagued with visions of my son being assaulted and shot in the head. … Every time I close my eyes, all I can see is my son bleeding out on the ground, gasping for air.”
Under the conditions of their release, the Lindlers will be on home detention with ankle monitors, and must stay at least 300 yards from the victim’s home, the Post and Courier reported.
