Kriti Mehrotra
It was January 6, 2018, when the entire world turned upside down for Ashley Van Hemert as she was shot multiple times while asleep in her Idaho Street home in Belgrade, Montana. This much has even been explored in Investigation Discovery’s ‘The Murder Tapes: Footprints in the Snow’ and ABC’s ’20/20 You Left Me For Dead,’ with a particular focus on the heinousness of the crime. After all, it was one of her roommate’s estranged husband who opened fire on the duo in the middle of the night, mercilessly killing his wife without hesitancy and critically wounding Ashley.
Ashley Van Hemert Lay Injured For Over 9 Hours Before She Was Found
Although a native of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Ashley Van Hemert was residing in Belgrade, Montana, by the time the mid-to-late 2010s rolled around for her career as a nursing assistant. The then super independent 32-year-old was extremely proud of her standing because she got to help people for a living, which had reportedly been her dream ever since she was a young girl. The fact that she had a loving partner by her side, Ralph Dennis, and was also really close to her family only made everything better for her, yet everything changed in the late hours of January 6, 2018.
Ashley vividly remembers that her then-boyfriend had picked her up from home for an evening out, following which they went to the Pioneer Motel in Livingston to watch a film screening. However, because she had work early the next morning, she was home by 9 pm as planned – she kissed Ralph goodbye, went inside, and did her night routine before crawling into bed a short while later. That’s the last thing she recalls before waking up a short time later to find a strange man standing over her in the dark. He was the one who shot her four times while she tried to run for her life.
Ashley endured serious gunshot wounds at point-blank range to the back of her head, chest, and arm, leaving her unable to move as she lay on the ground near her bedroom door, all bloody. She had no idea that her roommate Lauren DeWise was already dead, so she went in and out of consciousness while calling for help for the next nine hours until her third roommate returned home. The moment Audria Butler arrived, she noticed footprints in the backyard, and their backdoor kicked in. She hurried to see if everything was okay before rushing to a neighbor’s to call 911. It was 9:25 am on January 7, 2018, when dispatchers received this call.
Ashley Van Hemert Had a Long Road to Recovery, But She is Not Bitter
While Ashley doesn’t remember being shot, being found by Audria and police officials, or being rushed to the hospital, she does remember waking up surrounded by family a few days later. They are the ones who told her what had transpired, only for her shooter, Lauren’s estranged husband, to then be arrested for his heinous offense four days later on January 11, 2018. Since Ashley had suffered from broken ribs, a punctured lung, as well as a shattered arm, it took a long time for her to recover, especially as she had to relearn everything from gripping to walking.
Nevertheless, even with financial constraints owing to all her medical treatments and devices, her not having much motion in her right arm, and her limited stamina, Ashley had forgiven Joseph Paul DeWise by 2020. He was convicted of one count each of premeditated homicide as well as attempted homicide following a 7-day trial in December 2019, so she made her feelings clear during his 2020 sentencing. Ashley expressed that while she hasn’t forgotten her pain or that her life is now completely different because he tried to take it all away, she has forgiven him. She knew she was lucky to be alive, but she still wished him no real harm.
In fact, Ashley even read aloud the poem she had written (with the help of one of her brothers) about this whole incident, which she later gave to Joseph alongside a bible. It read, in part, “By the grace of God, I survived, and I lived to be a testimony. When people ask me what they can pray for, I say, for my body, your children, and your soul. This life is short, eternity is forever, and you need Jesus more than my body, whole… If God could forgive me an unlimited amount of times, then how can I withhold forgiveness from you.” She even added that despite his sentencing of 220 years without the possibility of parole, she doesn’t want him to die in prison.
Where is Ashley Van Hemert Now?
While Ashley could have easily let her grief and pain turn into resentment, it is a mark of her kindness and resilience that she has managed to transform these into forgiveness and motivation. After all, ever since the court proceedings have come to a close for good, she has taken all opportunities to share her story with the world and raise awareness against domestic violence. In fact, the outdoor enthusiast is now a full-fledged motivational public speaker on the matter, with her own website through which you can either contact her for an engagement or donate for her ongoing, extensive medical expenses. As if that’s not enough, the Bozeman, Montana, resident has also been sponsoring a boy named Bereket’s education, whom she first met in 2014 while on a mission trip.
Coming to Ashley’s personal standing, she is not only a religious woman but also a proud dog mom and dedicated family woman who doesn’t hesitate to show off her bonds with the world. From what we can tell, she is particularly close to her mother, Linda, her sister, Carissa, and her brothers, Caleb and Terrill, all of whom also took the stand in her support during Joseph’s sentencing hearing. We should also mention that she hasn’t forgotten about Lauren and how the late 35-year-old mother of one was the true victim of what occurred on January 6, 2018. In fact, on the 7th anniversary of the incident recently, she penned an entire post for her on Facebook, making it clear that while she is doing her best to move on in life, some things will forever bring her sorrow.
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