On June 28, 2023, Kaylah Ann Farmer, a 33-year-old mother of three, was fatally shot while sitting in her maroon van at a Speedway gas station in Fishers, Indiana. A United States Air Force veteran and a scheduler at IU Health, she was pronounced dead at the scene, having sustained more than 15 gunshot wounds. Surveillance footage from the gas station captured the horrifying event, showing a person in a maroon Kia Soul firing into Farmer's vehicle from multiple locations before fleeing the
scene. The Kia was later found to belong to the suspect's girlfriend.
The day after the shooting, authorities arrested Kaylah's 32-year-old ex-husband, Joshua Farmer, who was found hiding behind shrubs in Indianapolis. At the time of his arrest, he was already wanted on nearly a dozen charges stemming from a domestic violence incident a month prior, in which he allegedly bit, punched, and hit Kaylah with a baseball bat. Court documents revealed a history of abuse, including an incident where Joshua Farmer reportedly choked and punched Kaylah in front of their children, held a gun to her head, and made her 'choose between' her life and her son's. Despite this history, which included domestic violence charges during his military service, he had received an honorable discharge.
Initially, prosecutors sought the death penalty against Joshua Farmer, later amending it to life without parole. He was formally charged with murder, criminal recklessness, stalking, and unlawful carrying of a handgun. In March 2025, Joshua Farmer accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to one count of murder and one count of stalking with a deadly weapon. In exchange, charges of criminal recklessness and unlawful carrying of a handgun were dismissed.
On April 30, 2025, a judge sentenced Joshua Farmer to 80 years in prison. The sentence included 65 years for the murder charge and a consecutive 15-year term for stalking, and it also encompassed the charges from the May 2023 domestic violence incident. During the emotional sentencing hearing, Kaylah’s mother and sisters delivered powerful impact statements. Joshua Farmer declined to make a statement. Following the tragedy, Kaylah's sister adopted her three children.
