Jonathan and Wilma Hochstetler were known in their community for their kind hearts and generosity. Both raised Amish, they had been happily married for 17 years and had gone on multiple mission trips together. The couple were "childhood sweethearts," friends say, who grew up neighbors in an Amish community. They later became Mennonites. They had four children.
For Jonathan Hochstetler, September 16th of this year started out as a normal day, except for a flat tire on his work trailer. In less than 24-hours, that day became the worst day of their lives.
Jonathan Hochstetler owns a roofing company in Bloomfield, Indiana. He was working on a project in Indianapolis when his trailer blew a tire. Accompanied by their six-year old son Bradon, Wilma Hochstetler brought another tire to him, arriving just before midnight.
After they replaced the tire, the couple noticed that the running lights on the trailer weren’t working. They were still working to fix them when two armed men approached them after midnight. They robbed them of Wilma’s phone and both of their wallets and were walking away, and they turned around and came back and just point-blank shot Wilma and Jonathan. Their 6-year-old son was hiding in the truck.
Though critically injured, Jonathan managed to get back to their vehicle, where his 6-year-old son was hiding in the back seat. Jonathan told the boy to get his phone. The 6-year-old grabbed it and gave it to his father, so he could call 911. But it was too late for Wilma Hochstetler, who died at the scene. The police arrived at 1:30 AM on Thursday the 17th.
I guess, as a 6-year-old boy, you don’t realize what really happened. He said: ‘Mom’s gonna get up again.’ “He didn’t realize that his mom is gone,” a friend said.
Jonathan Hochstetler was in the hospital for a week after undergoing surgery on his neck and jawbone. Doctors had to fuse together three of his vertebrae. Friends say his broken heart is unmendable. A GoFundMe page has been set up for this family.
Jonathan believes he could identify at least one of the shooters. The family says the incident was captured on video by a security video. Indianapolis Metropolitan Police have released no suspect information.
"Not that them being jailed or in prison for a long time is going to change anything for me or Wilma or my family, but they're going to do this again,” Jonathan said.
On Friday, Jonathan's father, Sam Hochstetler, appeared before media cameras and read a letter he'd written to the people of Indianapolis.
"I feel no hatred, bitterness, anger, nor revenge towards the two black men that murdered my daughter-in-law,” Sam said. “I extend forgiveness for the two murderers. Revenge only begets more violence. My heart's desire for them is that they would repent, to fall on their faces before the Lord Jesus, and cry out for mercy for their own souls’ sake."
Jonathan was released from the hospital last Thursday. He went home to Bloomfield just in time for his wife's funeral.
"I took her for granted way too many times,” Jonathan said. “She was a wonderful wife. She was an amazing soulmate."
Visitation for Wilma was Friday, Sept. 25 at Elnora Baptist Institute. The school livestreamed the funeral Saturday, Sept. 26. She was laid to rest at the Wilmington Christian Fellowship Cemetery.
Wilma was the youngest of 14 siblings. Her brothers and sisters visited the shooting site Monday and built a memorial for her.
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“Evil men and seducers will wax worse and worse” (2 Timothy 3:13).