On a Lexington County farm, a confrontation between neighbors ended with a man dead and a father and son facing murder charges — a case that now asks the courts to weigh the ancient question of when lethal force becomes justified and when it becomes a crime. Ryan Lindler Sr. and Jr. were granted $150,000 bond by a circuit court judge, allowing them to return home under strict conditions while the legal process unfolds. Both sides agree the victim, Kevin Newhouse, carried a machete that night; what divides them is the sequence of events that followed — and whether what the Lindlers did was surv
Father, son granted $150k bond in neighbor's shooting death
Kevin Newhouse, 36, was shot and killed by the Lindlers; his mother witnessed the shooting.
Both sides agree the neighbor had a machete. The question is who moved first.
Mark
Why would a father and son both be charged with the same murder? Couldn't one of them have acted alone?
Mimi
Because the state's theory is that they acted together—the father disarmed the neighbor, then directed his son to shoot. That makes both of them responsible for the death, either as the shooter or as the one who ordered it.
Mark
And the defense is purely self-defense? There's no other angle they're working?
Mimi
That's what they've signaled so far. Both sides agree Newhouse had a machete. The question is whether he was the aggressor or whether the Lindlers were. If a jury believes Newhouse swung first and posed a real threat, self-defense becomes plausible.
Mark
Three hundred people showed up to support them. Does that tell us something about how the community sees this?
Mimi
It suggests the Lindlers are known and respected in that area. They run a farm, they're established. But it doesn't tell us what a jury will think when they hear the evidence. Community support and legal guilt are separate questions.
Mark
The mother witnessed it. That's devastating for the Newhouse family.
Mimi
Yes. She saw her son shot and killed. That's the human weight underneath all the legal maneuvering—a family lost someone, and now they're watching the people who killed him fight for their freedom in court.
Mark
What happens if they're convicted?
Mimi
That depends on the jury and the judge. Murder charges in South Carolina carry serious sentences. But we're still in the early stages. The real test comes at trial, when both sides present their full case.
The Pulse
- A doorbell camera alert set two men on a collision course with their neighbor, ending in a fatal shooting that left a mother watching her son die on the ground.
- The prosecution contends that once the machete was taken away, the threat was over — and that what followed was not defense but a deliberate order to kill.
- The defense insists the Lindlers were under active attack, that a cut hand proves the danger was real, and that any reasonable person in their position would have done the same.
- More than 300 community members showed up to support the Lindlers at the bond hearing, signaling that this case has already divided — and galvanized — the people who live closest to it.
- Released under GPS monitoring, firearm restrictions, and a 300-yard exclusion zone, the Lindlers now wait at home for an arraignment where they will formally declare themselves not guilty.
On a Lexington County farm, a confrontation between neighbors ended with a man dead and a father and son facing murder charges — a case that now asks the courts to weigh the ancient question of when lethal force becomes justified and when it becomes a crime. Ryan Lindler Sr. and Jr. were granted $150,000 bond by a circuit court judge, allowing them to return home under strict conditions while the legal process unfolds. Both sides agree the victim, Kevin Newhouse, carried a machete that night; what divides them is the sequence of events that followed — and whether what the Lindlers did was survival or execution.
A cattle and hay farm in Lexington County became the site of a fatal confrontation when Ryan Lindler Sr. and his son Ryan Lindler Jr. went to confront their neighbor, Kevin Newhouse, after a doorbell camera alerted them to what they believed was trespassing. The encounter ended with Newhouse, 36, shot and killed — his mother present as a witness. Father and son were charged with murder, and on Friday a circuit court judge granted each a $150,000 bond, with release secured at 10 percent.
Both the prosecution and defense agree that Newhouse was armed with a machete. That is where the agreement ends. Prosecutors say Lindler Sr. disarmed Newhouse and then directed his son to shoot — a sequence that, in the state's view, transforms the act from self-defense into murder. The defense counters that Newhouse swung the machete at the Lindlers, cutting Lindler Sr.'s hand, and that the shooting was a lawful response to a genuine threat.
The bond hearing drew more than 300 supporters of the Lindler family, reflecting how deeply the case has resonated locally. Judge Walton McLeod imposed firm conditions on their release: no firearms, GPS monitoring, movement restricted to home, work, medical care, and church, and a mandatory 300-yard distance from the shooting site and the Newhouse family. The defense plans to enter a not guilty plea at arraignment and will argue self-defense. What a jury ultimately decides will hinge on the precise order of events — and whether the force used was a proportional answer to the danger the Lindlers faced.
On a farm in Lexington County, a dispute between neighbors ended with a man dead and two others facing murder charges. On Friday, a circuit court judge granted bond to Ryan Lindler Sr., 51, and his son Ryan Lindler Jr., 26, allowing them to leave the detention center if they posted 10 percent of their $150,000 bond—meaning $15,000 each would secure their release.
The Lindlers own a cattle and hay operation on their property. According to prosecutors, they received a motion alert from their doorbell camera and believed their neighbor, 36-year-old Kevin Newhouse, was trespassing on their land. They decided to confront him, though their attorneys say the intention was actually to speak with Newhouse's father. What happened next is where the accounts diverge, though both the state and the defense agree on one crucial detail: Newhouse was wielding a machete.
The prosecution's version is direct. Lindler Sr. disarmed Newhouse of the machete. Then, according to Assistant Solicitor Luke Pincelli, Lindler Sr. told his son to shoot. Lindler Jr. pushed Newhouse to the ground and fired, killing him in the head. Newhouse's mother was present and witnessed the shooting.
The defense tells a different story. Eric Bland, representing both men, argued that Newhouse swung the machete at the Lindlers. Lindler Sr. was cut in the hand during the struggle. From the defense perspective, what followed was self-defense—a response to an armed threat. The attorneys plan to enter a not guilty plea at the upcoming arraignment and will pursue a self-defense argument in court.
More than 300 people attended Thursday's bond hearing to support the Lindler family, a show of community presence that underscored the complexity of the case in the eyes of those who know them. Judge Walton McLeod imposed strict conditions on their release. Neither man can possess a firearm. Both are subject to GPS monitoring. They are confined to their home except for work, medical appointments, and church. They must stay at least 300 yards from the location where Newhouse was shot. They cannot contact the Newhouse family or go near them.
Bland indicated the men would post bond on Saturday, meaning they would leave detention within days of the hearing. What unfolds next will depend on how a jury weighs the evidence of what happened in those moments on the farm—whether the Lindlers' actions constitute self-defense against an armed aggressor, or whether they constitute murder. The case will turn on the details of who moved first, who posed the greater threat, and whether the response was proportional to the danger faced.
Notable Quotes
Ryan Lindler Sr.'s hand was bleeding. He was cut with a machete.— Eric Bland, defense attorney
The Lindlers decided to confront Newhouse after they received a notification of movement on their doorbell camera, believing he was trespassing on their farm.— Luke Pincelli, Assistant Solicitor
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