Public defender’s office: Lindeman is not indigent

After a recent order in Howell County Courts declaring West Plains’ Larry Lindeman indigent, the public defender’s office is pushing back. Seven months into the first-degree murder case Lindeman, the defendant has yet to secure a defense attorney.

 

Last week, the Honorable Robert Craig Carter entered an order declaring him indigent and appointing a public defender. 

 

The Howell County Public Defender’s office filed a motion seeking to rescind the appointment, pointing out, as previously reported by Howell County News, that Lindeman was denied publicly funded representation in June. The motion, filed by Attorney Thomas Flack, claims Lindeman’s income exceeds guidelines and has, “extraordinary financial means” available to him. 

 

In June, Lindeman told the court via handwritten filing that he was attempting to sell real estate to fund the costs of representation. 

 

The public defender’s motion alleges that the court lacked the authority to issue the order and argues further that the court did not follow the correct procedures for declaring indigency under state law. 

 

The defendant is accused of first-degree murder after shooting a burglar inside a vacant property he owns. Lindeman went to the house in November 2025 after learning of a break-in. The burglars returned several hours later, while the defendant was still in the house. 

 

Lindeman shot Kyle Hilleman, 23, who later died of his injuries. A second alleged burglar, Keith Geringer, 32, was also in the house that day, and has been charged with second-degree murder.

 

In a January hearing in the case against Gerginger, Flack, alongside Howell County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Rizwan Ahad questioned Lindeman. 

 

As previously reported by the News, Flack pressed Lindeman on when exactly he planned to call the police. He didn’t call after first learning of the burglary, or shortly after arriving on the property. Lindeman testified that the first time he tried to call out was at 5:30 p.m., almost two hours after arriving. That’s when he realized he did not have a functioning phone.

 

Then, Flack asked whether Lindeman left the doors open, was quiet in the house, and in the dark because he was hoping someone would come back, the accused denied it, saying, “That’s not giving me the benefit of the doubt, sir.”

 

A counsel status hearing remains on the docket for October 19, at 7:00 a.m., and online court records do not indicate whether the court will hear the public defender’s office’s motion, noting instead that it is the, “representation of counsel deadline.”