In the pre-dawn hours of April 10, 2021, a burst of violence shattered the quiet of Koshkonong, a small town in southern Missouri. Inside the Snappy Mart convenience store on U.S. 63, Carlos Moreno, a male truck driver from California, was fatally shot. The incident, which occurred around 5 a.m., also left three other individuals critically wounded.
According to reports, Moreno was standing near the restrooms of the business when a man, later identified as 28-year-old Christopher L.
Lindley of Thayer, walked in and shot him through a glass window. Moreno was struck in the head and was pronounced dead at the scene, leaning against a wall when first responders arrived. The attack did not end with Moreno; Lindley proceeded to shoot and injure three other people inside the store: Paul Chavis, Melissa Rae Blaskiewicz, and Jonah Bivins. Chavis was discovered outside by his vehicle, while Blaskiewicz and Bivins were found inside the store with gunshot wounds to the head and face, respectively.
The investigation swiftly pointed towards Lindley. Despite being unable to speak, the injured Jonah Bivins managed to write down the full name of his attacker for law enforcement. An employee at the Snappy Mart also identified the shooter's first name as Chris. This information, combined with a tip regarding Lindley's vehicle, led to his arrest between 9 and 9:30 a.m. the same day in neighboring Howell County. There was no apparent altercation leading up to the shooting, and while a motive was not immediately clear, authorities believed the suspect knew at least one of the victims.
Following his capture, Christopher L. Lindley was charged with first-degree murder for the death of Carlos Moreno, along with five counts of first-degree assault and six counts of armed criminal action. He was held without bail. During his initial court appearance, which he attended virtually from jail, Lindley indicated he would apply for a public defender. Court proceedings for his trial were scheduled to take place in the following years.
