Hickory Man Gets 45 Years In Prison For Attempted Murder

A Hickory man will spend at least 45 years in prison after a Catawba County jury found him guilty of attempted first-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury.

46-year-old Kevin Maurice Linder was given an active prison term of 45 to 56 years for the stabbing of Keisha Collins after the jury deliberated for approximately five-and-a-half hours before reaching its verdict on Tuesday, June 6th in Catawba County Superior Court.

The Honorable Justin N. Davis, Superior Court Judge from Gaston County, imposed the prison sentence following the jury’s decision to convict Linder of the August 17, 2021, offenses that led to serious stab wounds to the stomach and a neck laceration for the victim. He also was found guilty of a domestic violence protective order violation involving a deadly weapon.

The offenses, deemed “heinous and atrocious acts” by Prosecutor Howard Wellons, were sentenced in the aggravated range because the defendant was on pre-trial release for another charge at the time they were committed. Linder was arrested by Hickory Police on August 17, 2021.

The trial ran six days, starting with jury selection on Tuesday, May 30. Following evidence presentation from the State, including testimony by the victim, and defense, both sides gave closing arguments on Monday (June 5) before the case went to the jury for deliberations. The jury began deliberating Tuesday morning and they returned the verdict at approximately 3:30 p.m.

Story: Rob Eastwood-WHKY