Samuel Hochstetler, 19, pleaded guilty on July 24 to aggravated murder in the March 2025 death of 28-year-old Rosanna Kinsinger. Prosecutors say Kinsinger died of positional asphyxiation while Hochstetler was committing a sexual assault; her body was found the next day. After the death, Hochstetler reportedly informed Kinsinger’s father and offered to help prepare a barn for the funeral. Hochstetler received a 25-to-life sentence and must register as a violent offender and a Tier III sex offender.
Amish Teen Pleads Guilty After Smothering Woman During Sexual Assault; Later Offered Her Family Help With Funeral, Prosecutors Say
Samuel HochstetlerCredit: Meigs County Sheriff's Office/Facebook
Samuel Hochstetler, 19, of Rutland, Ohio, pleaded guilty on July 24 to aggravated murder in the 2025 death of 28-year-old Rosanna Kinsinger, the Meigs County Prosecuting Attorney's Office said. The plea came days before Hochstetler was due to stand trial on multiple charges, including murder, kidnapping, rape and strangulation.
Prosecutors say Kinsinger died on March 12, 2025, from positional asphyxiation while Hochstetler engaged in nonconsensual sexual conduct with her. Friends discovered Kinsinger’s body inside her trailer on March 13 after she failed to show up for work.
Investigation and Court Details
According to media coverage and statements from the prosecutor's office, Hochstetler and Kinsinger had been working with others at a greenhouse the day of the attack. People who knew them told investigators that Hochstetler had sought to flirt with Kinsinger but that she did not welcome his advances.
Samuel Hochstetler in court.Credit: Court TV/Youtube
Prosecutor James Stanley told Court TV that evidence indicated Hochstetler smothered Kinsinger during the assault. Stanley also said Hochstetler went to Kinsinger’s father after her death, reported that she had died and even offered to help the family prepare their barn for her funeral. "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," Stanley said.
Legal Outcome
Hochstetler’s attorney argued the death was accidental and cited a prior ruling that found Hochstetler's confession inadmissible; that ruling helped lead to the plea agreement, according to Court TV. As part of the disposition announced by the prosecutor’s office, Hochstetler was sentenced to serve 25 years to life in prison and must register as a violent offender and as a Tier III sex offender.
In court, Hochstetler apologized. "I'm sorry for everything I did," he said, according to reporting. "I wish I could go back to those days and make a different life. I don't know how to fully express how sorry I am for all this."
Sources: Meigs County Prosecuting Attorney's Office statement and Court TV coverage reported details of the investigation and plea. Media reports originally appeared in People and Court TV.
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