An 82-year-old man has been sentenced to life in prison following his conviction on multiple felony charges stemming from a 2023 shooting and arson that left one woman dead and another man seriously injured.
On September 26, 2025, Teresa Howell, Prosecuting Attorney for the Seventh Judicial District, announced that a Grant County jury found Ryan Hodges guilty of Murder in the First Degree, Battery in the First Degree, and Arson.
The charges arose from a July 10, 2023 incident at the Sheridan Heights Apartments, where Hodges shot and killed Katharyn Linker and critically injured Sharod Harvey as the pair conducted an inspection on the property. After the shootings, Hodges set the apartment building on fire, causing extensive damage.
The case was investigated by the Sheridan Police Department and the Grant County Sheriff’s Department, with assistance from the Arkansas State Police.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorneys Jeff Weber and Cagney Kilgroe presented the case to what Howell described as a “very attentive” jury. Victim support services were provided by Victim Witness Coordinator Amanda Culpepper Groomes, while digital presentations were prepared by Rebecca Childers of the Grant County Prosecutor’s Office.
Following the jury’s guilty verdict, family members of both victims gave powerful testimony about the impact of the tragedy on their lives.
Judge Stephen Shirron presided over the three-day trial and accepted the jury’s sentencing recommendation:
-
Life in prison for first-degree murder
-
Life in prison for arson (to run consecutively)
-
20 years for first-degree battery (to run consecutively)
Hodges will remain in the Sheridan Detention Center until a bed becomes available at the Arkansas Department of Corrections.
