John McCarthy
BUCKEYE LAKE — An Ohio man was arrested after authorities say he fatally shot a man singing karaoke at a bar.
Just before midnight July 11, 42-year-old Benjamin Hawk was at a bar in Buckeye Lake, the Licking County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Hawk had just started singing karaoke, the bar’s owner, Debbie Williamson, told the Columbus Dispatch. He “got like three words out,” then there were gunshots, she told the outlet.
THE VICTIM: Benjamin Hawk, 42, of Buckeye Lake, Ohio
Richard Lindgren, 59, walked up behind Hawk, who was singing karaoke with Lindgren’s ex-wife, and shot him in the back of the head, court records said, according to WBNS.
Officials charged Lindgren with murder and issued a nationwide warrant for him, deputies said. On July 12, he was arrested in Orangeburg, South Carolina, according to Licking County Sheriff Randy Thorp.
Attorney information for Lindgren was not immediately available.
THE ACCUSED: Richard Lindgren, 59, of Columbus, Ohio
Hawk was a father of two young girls, according to a GoFundMe page. He was “loved by many and never met a stranger,” the page said.
“Ben Hawk was one of the most peaceful people I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. He always stood for what was right, no matter the consequences,” one person wrote on Facebook.
Videos on Hawk’s Facebook page show him singing karaoke, and Krooners’ Karaoke in Ohio shared a post with a photo of Hawk as a 2025 Karaoke Cup state finalist.
“Ben or as we called him ‘Donkey,’ was a larger in life guy. He was fun, loving & a really great guy, friend and singer,” the post said.
Buckeye Lake is about a 30-mile drive east from Columbus.
By JENNIFER RODRIGUEZ/McClatchy News
Jennifer Rodriguez is a McClatchy National Real-Time reporter covering the Central and Midwest regions. She joined McClatchy in 2023 after covering local news in Youngstown, Ohio, for over six years. Jennifer has made several achievements in her journalism career, including receiving the Robert R. Hare Award in English, the Emerging Leader Justice and Equality Award, the Regional Edward R. Murrow Award and the Distinguished Hispanic Ohioan Award.
