Woman Sentenced in Thanksgiving Shooting

Posey County Judge James Redwine calls the Thanksgiving Day shooting that killed 29 year old Nicole Stroud "a premeditated, angery act." Friday, Redwine sentenced Melinda Lindauer to 6 years in prison for the November 22, 2007 shooting. Thats two years less than the maximum sentence available in Indiana for reckless homicide, a class C felony. Lindauer admitted to firing two shots from a .357 magnum hand gun to scare a neighbors dog that she says was in her yard digging up the remains of her deceased cat. The 41 year old married mother of four said she repeatedly chased the dog out of the yard, and that it came in from beneath a 7 foot privacy fence that she had installed, in part, to avoid interacting with her neighbors. Lindauer explained to the court that she saw the dog, went to her bedroom, retrieved the pistol from its case beneath her bed, opened a window and fired two shots. One of the bullets traveled under or through the fence, striking Nicole Stroud in the chest. She died a short time later at Deaconess Hospital. Strouds sister Dana Lemieux read a tear filled victims impact statement before sentencing, telling the court how Stroud was looking for the dog when she was shot. She explained the pain of watching her sister die, and seeing her father give her CPR. There were several family members, including Strouds 11 month old daughter Jenna, at the Wadesville house that afternoon to celebrate Thanksgiving. Lindauer told the court that she never intended to hurt anyone, and "asking for mercy on my behalf, for me and my children," and for the Stroud family. Nicoles family had hoped for the maximum sentence, but said after hearing of the six year term, that no sentence would bring her back. "No matter what he would have given her, it wouldnt have made up for losing Nicole, wouldnt have made up for it at all," said Dana Lemieux.