Joshua Moyer was a 39-year-old attorney living in Columbus, Ohio. He was a husband and a valued member of his community, where neighbors knew him and his family.
In the pre-dawn hours of May 31, 2022, Moyer was heading to work when he discovered a man breaking into his wife’s car in their driveway. The incident occurred around 4:20 a.m. on Parkglen Road in the far southwest part of the city. Moyer confronted the man and attempted to detain him until police could arrive.
During the struggle that followed, the man pulled out a gun, shot Moyer in the chest, and fled the scene. Joshua Moyer died from his injuries.
Columbus Police detectives began an investigation and learned that the suspect had been rummaging through several vehicles in the neighborhood that same morning. Investigators collected evidence and canvassed the area, gathering home surveillance footage from residents who were eager to help. The information and evidence they compiled soon led them to a suspect.
In July 2022, police identified Derek Hotelling, 31, as the man who shot Moyer. When detectives filed a murder charge against him, Hotelling was already being held in the Franklin County Jail on unrelated drug charges. He was formally arraigned for the killing of Joshua Moyer on July 12, 2022, and a judge set his bond at $500,000.
The case against Hotelling proceeded through the Franklin County court system. More than a year after the shooting, justice was delivered for the Moyer family. In September 2023, Derek Hotelling was convicted for the killing of Joshua Moyer and was sentenced to prison.
