MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. — A Baxter County man was sentenced to life in prison without parole after being convicted of multiple charges in connection with a 2020 murder.
On September 18, a Baxter County Circuit Court jury found Ryan James Lindsey, 33, guilty of capital murder, kidnapping, second-degree battery, and arson in the death of Cody Stradford, 35, of Mountain Home. The jury also handed down an additional 15 years in prison and $12,500 in fines during sentencing.
The case stemmed from December 2020, when Stradford’s body was discovered inside a burned vehicle in rural Baxter County. Authorities determined Stradford had been assaulted at a residence in Mountain Home before being moved to the rural location where the vehicle was set on fire.
The Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division, along with the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office and the Mountain Home Police Department, led the investigation. Lindsey was apprehended several days after the incident in Brownsville, Texas, and extradited to Arkansas to face charges.
According to court records, cases remain pending for other individuals arrested and charged in relation to Stradford’s death. Lindsey will serve his sentence in the custody of the Arkansas Division of Corrections.