An Amish Community murder case which stunned Ohio has ended with a guilty plea. 19-year-old Samuel Hochstetler admitted to aggravated murder in the death of 28-year-old Rosanna Kinsinger.

Prosecutors said Kinsinger was sexually assaulted and killed in her mobile home in March 2025, after which Hochstetler accompanied others to notify her family of her death and offered to help pay for her funeral.

Guilty in Amish Community Murder

Hochstetler pleaded guilty July 24 in Meigs County Common Pleas Court. He avoided a trial that had been scheduled to begin days later.

Under the plea agreement, Hochstetler pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years.

He will also face sex-offender registration requirements if he is released from prison. Reporting on the plea said he was classified as a Tier III sex offender and violent offender.

Kinsinger Found Dead 

The case began after Kinsinger failed to show up for work and other activities on March 13, 2025.

Prosecutor James Stanley said Kinsinger had spent the previous day working with Hochstetler and other members of the community on construction of a greenhouse.

Stanley emphasized in court that Kinsinger and Hochstetler were not romantically involved.

“The defendant and Rosanna were not courting, they were not dating, they were not together, they were not seeing each other, they were not engaged in a casual sexual relationship,” Stanley said.

Witnesses reportedly told investigators that Hochstetler had been showing off and attempting to flirt with Kinsinger while the group worked on the greenhouse March 12. Kinsinger was not interested in him, according to the prosecution.

When she did not appear the following day, friends and neighbors went to check on her at the trailer where she lived near Rutland in Meigs County.

They found Kinsinger dead inside.

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Amish Community Murder Details Sexual Assault 

Prosecutors said Hochstetler sexually assaulted Kinsinger before killing her.

Kinsinger was discovered unclothed and facedown over her bed. Authorities determined that she died from positional asphyxiation, with prosecutors saying blankets covering her face and pressure placed on her torso prevented her from breathing.

The circumstances led investigators to treat the death as suspicious and begin an investigation that included interviews, search warrants and evidence collection.

Hochstetler ultimately became a suspect and was arrested May 5, 2025.

He had initially faced charges that included aggravated murder, rape and kidnapping before reaching the plea agreement that eliminated the need for a trial.

Killer Offered to Help Kinsinger’s Family in Amish Community Murder

One of the most striking details disclosed by prosecutors involved Hochstetler’s actions after Kinsinger’s body was discovered.

Hochstetler joined others who went to Kinsinger’s parents’ home to inform them that their daughter was dead. Prosecutors said he did not tell the family that he was responsible for her death.

Instead, Hochstetler offered to perform chores Kinsinger had previously handled and offered money to help cover her funeral expenses.

At the time, her family did not know that investigators would later identify Hochstetler as the person responsible for killing her.

Confession Became Issue Before Plea Deal

The prosecution encountered a significant legal issue before the scheduled trial involving statements Hochstetler made to investigators.

Hochstetler was taken to the Meigs County Sheriff’s Office on May 5, 2025. Deputies spoke with him about Kinsinger’s death, his relationship with her and what happened.

Meigs County Common Pleas Judge Linda R. Warner later ruled that incriminating statements Hochstetler made could not be admitted at trial because authorities failed to establish that he understood his Miranda rights.

Judge's Ruling in Amish Community Murder Case

Warner noted Hochstetler’s Amish background when evaluating whether he knowingly understood and waived those constitutional protections.

“In our Amish community, the Amish typically do not watch television, read secular or English materials, have dealings with government officials, the criminal justice system or attorneys/lawyers,” Warner wrote.

The judge concluded that those circumstances placed Hochstetler in a different position from an average defendant when determining whether he understood the rights being explained to him.

The suppression of the statements created a potential obstacle for prosecutors as the case approached trial. Hochstetler ultimately accepted the plea agreement days before jury proceedings were expected to begin.

Plea Deal Brings Life Sentence

Under the agreement, Hochstetler pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and received a sentence of life in prison with parole eligibility after 25 years.

The guilty plea meant prosecutors did not have to take the case to trial on the original collection of charges. It also ensured that Hochstetler received a life sentence while retaining the possibility of seeking parole after serving the minimum term.

Hochstetler addressed the court briefly before sentencing.

“I’m sorry for everything I did. I wish I could go back to those days and make a different life,” he said. “I don’t know how to fully express how sorry I am for all this.”

Rare Amish Community Murder Shocks Ohio

Hochstetler had previously characterized Kinsinger’s death as accidental, but his guilty plea formally established his criminal responsibility for aggravated murder.

The case brought attention to a normally private Amish community in southeastern Ohio. Hochstetler had been raised in an Amish community in Kentucky before moving to the Amish community in Meigs County.

Kinsinger’s death, the subsequent investigation and the revelations about Hochstetler’s actions after the killing left her family and community confronting a crime committed by someone within their own circle.

More Information

Meigs County Common Pleas Court:
https://meigscommonpleascourt.com/

Meigs County Sheriff’s Office:
https://www.meigssheriff.org/

Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction — Offender Search:
https://appgateway.drc.ohio.gov/OffenderSearch/search

Ohio Revised Code — Sex Offender Registry Law:
https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-2950.13

Court TV:
https://www.courttv.com/