When Is It Okay To Shoot Your Neighbor In The Head And Then Run Her Over With A Lawnmower?

Source- WILLARD, OH (WOIO) -A Huron County man is behind bars on a $1 million bond, accused of shooting his neighbor in the head because she was mowing her lawn.

Police say 62-year-old Linda Ciotto was mowing her lawn Tuesday night around 9 p.m. when they say 50-year-old James Blair shot her in the head.

Investigators also believe Blair rolled the running lawnmower over her.

Ciotto lived next door to Blair's mother.

"I heard the lawnmower running. I heard that then after that I heard the shot," one neighbor said.

A quick look at the grass and you can see Ciotto had just started cutting the lawn.

They say Blair went inside his mother's home and would not come out for six hours. Authorities used tear gas to get Blair to surrender. Blair's mother, 72-year-old Billie Hinkle, was also arrested. She is accused of tampering with evidence. Deputies say she hid the murder weapon.

We're told Ciotto was in the process of selling her home so she could move to Columbus to live with family. Neighbors told 19 Action News reporter Q McCray that they didn't even know Blair lived with his mother.


I am of the mindset that, unless you have a natural chemistry with those that live in close proximity, the true mark of a good neighbor is someone that stays out of your business. Someone that keeps to themselves and at least attempts not to disturb you, and vice versa. That being said, you still have to be aware of your neighbors. For instance, one time I saw the guy in the house next store cleaning his gun in the backyard. Naturally, I turned my music down a little bit and went about my day. While you don't need your neighbor's life story, you shouldn't turn to a blind eye to all of which they are capable. When you are the women that gets shot in the head after you START lawn-mowing at 9PM, not only are you an asshole, but you're an inattentive asshole. Oh, you just didn't realize that the 50 year old man that lived next door, and was always giving you weird looks, lived with his mother? Something didn't strike you as odd about that guy? You just don't go from happy-go-lucky neighbor to running someone over with a lawnmower. There were blatant warning signs that went ignored before they ultimately culminated in your execution.

Sure, this guy could have handled the situation better. However, the only thing more infuriating than waking up to a lawnmower is trying to go to sleep or watch primetime television with a lawnmower in the background. If anything, this guy is a hero, and I am the pussy for not following through with my thoughts of viciously murdering those that keep me up at night. It's one thing to finish cutting your grass late, but starting that late is a move reserved for social pariahs. What's next? She opens all the windows and starts vacuuming at 11PM? It's a slippery slope. You don't need to send Christmas cards or offer to dog sit, but a little bit of respect goes a long way in not getting yourself killed. The fact of the matter is, the senior citizen that was living with his mother was on the verge of killing someone anyway. Why not have it be the lady that fires up the John Deere at dusk? Once the social cues go, it's not long after that everything goes too, and that would have only resulted in endless bad situations for all those around her. I think this is a win-win for the rest of the community.