In a shocking act that both confounds and captivates, an Amish man, rather than fleeing justice, remained present to aid in the somber aftermath of his crime. Samuel Hochstetler assisted in the funeral arrangements for a woman he confessed to killing.
Recently, on July 24, the 19-year-old entered a guilty plea for the tragic murder of Rosanna Kinsinger, aged 28. This admission was confirmed by the Meigs County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office in Ohio. Under a plea agreement finalized shortly before his scheduled trial, Hochstetler faces 25 years to life in prison and must register as a Tier III sex offender, the most severe classification under Ohio law.
The chilling events trace back to March 12 of the previous year, marking the last day Kinsinger was seen alive. She had been busy constructing a greenhouse, project where acquaintances noted Hochstetler made amorous advances towards her.
Tragically, Kinsinger vanished on that fateful day while engrossed in her work at the greenhouse. Witnesses reported Hochstetler’s flirtatious behavior, casting a shadow over the seemingly innocent atmosphere.
Contrary to appearances, there was no romantic relationship between the two, stressed Meigs County Prosecuting Attorney James K. Stanley. As reported by Court TV, he clarified, “The defendant and Rosanna were not courting, they were not dating, they were not together. They were not seeing each other, nor were they engaged in a casual sexual relationship.”
The following day, a neighbor called 911 after finding Kinsinger in her Rutland home, alongside a goat, according to WSAZ.
When authorities arrived, Hochstetler, Stanley revealed “took it upon himself to be the one to tell Rosanna’s father that Rosanna had died.”
What Hochstetler did next, said Stanley, was “cruel.”
“The State thinks that aside from raping and murdering Rosanna, perhaps the most cruel thing that he did happened next when he volunteered to go to the Kinsinger farm to help them with their chores and to prepare the barn for her funeral,” he said. “He not only helped, but he was a welcome guest in their home.”
“And he wasn’t just a guest during the day; he was a guest during the night and spent the night Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday night after he had killed Rosanna,” Stanley added. “Rosanna’s parents and siblings had no idea that they had welcomed her murderer into their home, and that he was right there with them the entire time that they mourned her loss.”
Hochstetler was indicted in May for murder, kidnapping, rape, and strangulation, Stanley said. Court records show he was jailed on a $1 million bond.
During a recorded interview with detectives, Hochstetler said he knocked on Kinsinger’s door and that she welcomed him inside. He admitted to placing a blanket over her head and afterward realized she was dead, according to a criminal complaint obtained by Oxygen.
However, before Hochstetler pleaded guilty, a judge ruled that his statements to detectives would be inadmissible at trial, finding that, although he was read his Miranda rights, he didn’t fully understand them, according to Court TV. Hochstetler’s primary language is Pennsylvania Dutch and he told investigators he did not understand the word “sex,” instead referring to it as “breeding,” or the word “rape.”
Prosecutors, on the other hand, argued the encounter was nonconsensual.
“We believe the evidence would show that the defendant either held her face in the blankets or covered her face with the blankets with such force that he dislodged her lower dentures,” Stanley said, according to Court TV. He said that Hochstetler pressed on her torso and she could not breathe. Kinsinger died of positional asphyxia, he said.
The defense agreed that Hochstetler killed Kinsinger but said her death was a “result of his lack of experience.”
“In speaking with him, he has a great amount of remorse and sorrow,” his attorney said. “But what took place on March 12, 2025, was never his intention.”
Hochstetler shared remorse while speaking in court.
“I’m sorry for everything I did. I wish I could go back to those days and make a different life,” he said, according to the outlet. “I don’t know how to fully express how sorry I am for all this.”