In the late hours of a September evening in Indianapolis, what began as a mechanical issue for a husband and wife would tragically end in a fatal roadside encounter. Wilma Hochstetler, a 40-year-old woman, was killed on September 17, 2020, after she and her husband, Jonathan, were robbed and shot by two men. The couple, who owned a roofing business, were on the side of an Indianapolis highway attending to a blown tire on their work trailer.
Earlier that evening, Jonathan Hochstetler had
been at a job site when the tire blew. He sent his work crew home, and Wilma drove from their home in Worthington with their 6-year-old son to bring him a replacement tire. After midnight, with the tire changed, they discovered the trailer's lights were not working. As they were fixing the lights, two men approached them with guns and demanded money and Wilma's phone.
After the robbery, as the two assailants started to walk away, they abruptly turned and fired upon the couple. Wilma was fatally shot and died at the scene. Jonathan was struck in the neck. Despite his serious injuries, he was able to get to their vehicle where his young son was waiting. The boy handed his father a phone to call for help. Police arrived at the scene around 1:30 a.m. Jonathan was transported to the hospital and survived after undergoing surgery for multiple broken vertebrae in his neck.
In the days following the shooting, Jonathan's father, Sam Hochstetler, publicly stated that he felt no hatred towards the two men who took his daughter-in-law's life and that he extended forgiveness to them. The family later offered a $50,000 reward for information that would lead to the arrest and prosecution of those responsible for Wilma's death. At the time of the initial reports, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police had not released any information about the suspects. The investigation into the death of Wilma Hochstetler remains ongoing, and as of late 2020, no arrests had been publicly announced.
