A Dayton-area man who was previously charged with arson and manslaughter in connection with a fatal house fire is now facing a murder charge.
According to a Liberty County grand jury indictment returned June 16, 2026, Michael Shane Linkinhoker, 45, has been indicted for the murder of his mother, Katherine Linkinhoker.
The charge stems from a March 26, 2026, house fire on CR 4267, off FM 1409 in the Westlake area. Katherine Linkinhoker died in the fire. Authorities have said Michael Shane Linkinhoker was at the residence when the fire occurred.
Liberty County Fire Marshal Nathan Green previously said investigators determined the fire was intentionally set and not accidental, leading to Linkinhoker’s initial arrest on April 10 on charges of arson and manslaughter. His bonds on those charges totaled $1 million.
The grand jury indictment alleges that Linkinhoker intentionally caused his mother’s death by setting the fire.
If Linkinhoker’s name sounds familiar, it may be because of a previous Liberty County criminal case. In 2011, he was convicted in a hit-and-run crash that claimed the life of 15-year-old Charli Gore.
Gore had attended an impromptu party in the Westlake area and was walking along the roadway when she was struck and killed. Linkinhoker was sentenced to five years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in that case.
Linkinhoker remains in the Liberty County Jail awaiting trial on the murder charge.