BAXTER COUNTY TRIAL ENDS IN LIFE SENTENCE FOR MAN CONVICTED IN 2020 MURDER

September 21, 2026

MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. —  On Friday, September 18, 2026, a Baxter County Circuit Court jury convicted Ryan James Lindsey, 33, in connection with the December 2020 death of Cody Stradford, 35, of Mountain Home.

Following a five-day trial, Lindsey was found guilty of Capital Murder, Kidnapping, Second-Degree Battery and Arson. The jury sentenced Lindsey to life imprisonment without parole, plus 15 years and $12,500 in fines.

The Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division, along with the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office and the Mountain Home Police Department, began an investigation after Stradford was found dead inside his burned vehicle in rural Baxter County. Investigators determined Stradford had been assaulted at a Mountain Home residence before being moved to the location.

Lindsey was arrested several days later in Brownsville, Texas, and returned to Baxter County to face charges. Cases are pending for others arrested and charged in the death.

Lindsey will serve his sentence in Arkansas Division of Corrections custody.

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