W.P. homeowner who shot burglar indicted for murder

A West Plains man and former candidate for state legislature has been indicted for first degree murder and armed criminal action by a Howell County Grand Jury. Larry Lindeman was arrested on Friday and has since bonded out, according to Officer Conner Burnes of the West Plains Police Department. Lindeman’s bond was $100,000. 

 

The indictment stems from a November 8 shooting at a home on Paula Dr. in West Plains owned by Lindeman. 

 

Keith W. Geringer, 32, and Hayden Hilleman, 23, both of West Plains, had been stealing items from the residence in the days leading up to the shooting, according to a statement Geringer gave to police. The pair entered the home through the basement, and Hilleman was fatally shot by the homeowner, Lindeman, as the would-be burglars proceeded upstairs, according to court documents in Geringer’s criminal case. 

 

Geringer was charged with second-degree murder and burglary within weeks of the shooting. 

 

Lindeman’s involvement has remained under investigation since the shooting, confirmed Officer Burnes to repeated inquiries from Howell County News. An indictment is not a conviction he points out, saying Monday morning,  “I would like to note that criminal charges, and any discussion thereof, are merely allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.”

The grand jury’s report was not available to the public by press time. Additional relevant details will be published in an upcoming issue of Howell County News.