Editor’s note: This story contains a graphic description of the family’s account of an apparent murder-suicide, and readers are cautioned that the content is disturbing.
The family of a pregnant Columbus woman who was the victim of an apparent murder-suicide at the hands of her estranged husband say they believe there was a “breakdown” in the local criminal justice system leading up to her death.
Julie A. Schmidtke, 36, was found dead Dec. 19 from multiple gunshot wounds in a residence on the 2200 block of Sumpter Court along with her estranged husband, Charles Schmidtke, 41, who died from a single gunshot wound to the head, officials said.
“I think the system is broke,” said Craig Yow, the victim’s father. “She was trying to get a restraining order. …She had filed charges against him earlier. Another police department had called the Columbus police to have them check on her welfare because they were concerned that he had done something to her. There’s a whole host of things that there’s a breakdown in the system.”
Just 10 days before Julie Schmidtke was shot to death, Bartholomew Superior Court 2 Judge Jon Rohde denied her request for a protective order against Charles Schmidtke, court documents state. Rohde is the former Columbus Police chief.
In the request for the protective order, filed Oct. 21, the victim alleged that Charles Schmidtke had physically harmed her, committed a sexual offense against her and committed repeated acts of harassment, court documents state.
She provided screenshots of numerous social media posts and messages by Charles Schmidtke as evidence to support her claims, according to court records. The victim also detailed in the request an incident that occurred in early October in which Charles Schmidtke allegedly showed up at the residence unannounced with a firearm, stating “this is unusual after a long drive, which means he put (the gun) on to enter the house.”
Social media posts by Charles Schmidtke in recent years frequently have included images of guns that he said in the posts that he had purchased, including an AR-style rifle and another firearm that he described as “the new toy.”
Rohde denied the request for protective order during a hearing Dec. 9 in Bartholomew Superior Court 2. According to court documents, Charles Schmidtke and Julie Schmidtke attended the hearing in which Rohde made the ruling and each was represented by an attorney.
“(The) petitioner has not shown, by a preponderance of the evidence, that that a sex offense and harassment has occurred sufficient to justify the issuance of an order for protection,” Rohde stated in the court order dated Dec. 9. “It is therefore ordered by the court that the petition order for protection is hereby denied.”
Rohde has not responded to phone calls requesting comment on his decision to deny the protective order.
This past August, Charles Schmidtke attacked the victim, Yow said. At some point this year, the Cloverdale Police Department or a nearby law enforcement agency notified the Columbus Police Department after officers read an online post that Charles Schmidtke had made, Yow said.
“These officers read the post that he had put on there and then called the Columbus police officers, and they immediately went to go check on her,” Yow said.
Public records show that Columbus police were dispatched to Julie Schmidtke’s residence on Aug. 18 for a welfare check, though CPD’s records division said no additional information was available about the welfare check.
Five days after Rohde denied her request for a protective order, Julie Schmidtke filed for divorce in Bartholomew County, court records state.
Investigators have told the victim’s family that Charles Schmidtke broke into the Sumpter Court residence on Dec. 19 wearing body armor, dressed in black and had multiple firearms, Yow said.
Both of Julie Schmidtke’s children were inside the residence at the time of the break-in, Yow said.
Charles Schmidtke shot the 36-year-old mother of two as many as 13 times, Yow said. There were nine rounds fired in a hallway before Charles Schmidtke dragged the victim into a bedroom, he said.
Yow said that one of the children reported that Charles Schmidtke was smiling as he dragged his mother into a bedroom, reportedly telling the boy, “I’m only here for your mom, call your dad to come get you.”
Inside the bedroom, Charles Schmidtke shot her five more times, “and probably the last two shots were to kill the five-month-old” fetus, Yow said.
Then, Charles Schmidtke removed his body armor, placed some of his guns on a bed and “what the police said is it appears he sat down, crossed his legs and sat in front of her and shot himself,” Yow said.
Yow said that the support from the community “has been absolutely amazing” and said the Columbus police officers working on the case “are amazing people.”
The family is hoping that the legal system can make some changes that could help save lives in the future.
“We can’t change the past, but we’re looking at different options to get the word out to see what people can do or what the legal system can do different that would actually help protect other people,” Yow said. “Something needs to transpire,” he added.
