An April 28 retrial date was set Friday for a Meadowbrook man accused of fatally shooting a boyhood friend during a dispute connected to a marijuana sales venture.
Stephen John Lindo, 31, allegedly killed 29-year-old Michael Louis Hinden of Riverside in October 2020.
A Riverside jury deadlocked during deliberations in Lindo’s first trial in October, failing to reach a unanimous verdict on charges of first-degree murder and witness intimidation, as well as a special circumstance allegation of lying in wait and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.
Since then, prosecutors have amended the criminal complaint, removing the special circumstance allegation.
During a status hearing Friday, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Timothy Hollenhorst conferred with the prosecution and defense regarding scheduling, and both sides indicated that they would work toward preparing for retrial at the end of April. The judge tentatively set the date for further proceedings at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
Lindo remains held without bail at the Benoit Detention Center in Indio.
According to a trial brief filed by the District Attorney’s Office, Lindo and Hinden grew up together in Florida and were close. They decided in 2015 to leave Florida together, relocate to Riverside County and set up an unlicensed cannabis cultivation and sales business.
Hinden’s girlfriend, whose name was not disclosed, also joined the venture, which was established in the 2200 block of John Street in Meadowbrook, according to the brief.
Court papers allege that by the summer of 2020, Lindo and Hinden were at odds over the defendant’s failure to meet the terms of their business arrangement, selling cannabis products “hundreds of dollars below market value.”
Hinden decided to end the partnership, and on Oct. 5, 2020, he text-messaged Lindo, telling his former friend that he would be dropping by the defendant’s residence to retrieve property that belonged to him, according to the prosecution.
The brief alleges Lindo obtained a Taser and handgun from his house and stationed himself outside to wait for the victim.
Security surveillance video cameras were mounted around the perimeter of the location because of the on-site marijuana grow and captured much of what transpired, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
The tape showed the victim arriving and walking onto the property alone, heading straight for one of the grows. He was unarmed, prosecutors said.
Before Hinden reached the grow, Lindo allegedly ambushed him from behind, using the Taser to zap him, causing the victim to spin around and shout, “What the (expletive)!” according to the brief.
At that point, Lindo pulled out the pistol, stepped toward the victim and fired a bullet into his chest, prosecutors allege.
Hinden attempted to use his cellphone to call for help, prompting Lindo to pull the trigger a second time, but the gun jammed, according to the brief.
The victim collapsed and died moments later.
Lindo allegedly covered the body with a tarp and dismantled the security surveillance system, in an attempt to conceal evidence, prosecutors said. He called his attorney to seek advice, culminating in the lawyer directing sheriff’s deputies to the location, where Lindo was arrested without incident several hours later.
Lindo has no documented prior felony convictions.