Accused murder gets public defender

Seven months after a Howell County grand jury indicted Larry Lindeman, of West Plains, on a first-degree murder charge, the court has declared the defendant “indigent,” and will appoint a public defender to his case. 

 

The Honorable R. Craig Carter entered the order last Thursday. As previously reported by Howell County News, Lindeman was denied a public defender in June. Handwritten correspondence filed by the defendant at the time claimed he had been trying to sell real estate to fund his defense but had been unsuccessful. 

 

New correspondence from the defendant, currently still self-represented, moved to dismiss all charges. The handwritten motion cites RSMo. 563.031, “Deadly force is justified against a person who unlawfully enters, remains in, or tries to enter your dwelling, residence, or lawfully occupied vehicle.”

 

Lindeman’s charges stem from a November 2025 shooting that left a 23-year-old burglary suspect dead. As previously reported by the News, Lindeman was in a vacant property he owns on Paula Dr. in West Plains that November afternoon. He was investigating the aftermath of a suspected burglary, including the theft of firearms from the residence, his September 23 motion points out, 

 

He argues, as he did in a similar handwritten motion filed in August, that he feared for his life when the burglars came up the basement stairs. Lindeman testified in open court in January that he had been inside the vacant home for hours assessing the damage, heard the burglars enter the home, and shot the first man up the stairs in the back of the head with bird shot. The man later passed away from the injuries. 

 

Neither of these motions to dismiss have been scheduled for hearing. The court, it appears, is waiting for Lindeman to have professional representation to proceed. 

 

This matter is scheduled for another appearance in Howell County Courts on October 19.