Lorraine Gempler, 83, was killed by a man who lived down the road from her, according to Sullivan County authorities.

District Attorney Jim Farrell and Sheriff Michael Schiff held a press briefing on Thursday afternoon to run through the sequence of Monday evening's events that led to Gempler's death and the arrest of neighbor Toby Jay Smith.

Farrell said Gempler came home on Monday to find Smith already inside, holding a weapon other than a gun.

Smith then used the weapon to assault Gempler before leaving the home to be confronted by two unnamed good Samaritans who held Smith until deputies arrived, Farrell said.

"They saw something and they took action," Schiff said.

The two men were unable to save Gempler. She was pronounced dead later at the hospital.

Schiff said, though, the men did save other neighbors from whatever Smith might have done next.

Even though one of the men was injured and had to be hospitalized, the sheriff praised their actions and their judgement.

"You have to make that judgement," Schiff said. "Do you just record information, or do you take physical action as they did? We're very appreciative they took physical action, but again, not everybody may be able to do that type of physical interaction. You have to use your best judgement."

Smith faces charges of second-degree murder, first-degree burglary and second-degree assault. All are felony charges.

Farrell said Smith is currently in the hospital due to injuries he sustained when confronted by the two good Samaritans, and that as soon as Smith is medically cleared, he will be returned to Sullivan County custody to be prosecuted.

Friends of ‘Lori’ said she will be remembered for her volunteer service, dedication to her family and her love of flowers.

Friends and family have been struggling to make sense of Gempler's death.

"She was unbelievable. I couldn't ask for a nicer person to work with," said Hermann Hospital Auxiliary President Dottie Schlegel, who worked closely with Gempler, who was a member of the auxiliary since 1984.

"I hired her way back," Schlegel said. "I could have never seen this happening to her. She loved everyone."

A funeral mass for Gempler is scheduled for Saturday, September 29 at 12:30 p.m. at St. Georges Church in Jeffersonville.

In her obituary, her relatives said that instead of sending flowers, they are asking for donations to be sent to the Jeffersonville Volunteer First Aid Squad and her favorite charity, St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital.

"Lori would often say, 'My children always saw to it that I had flowers while I was alive," a passage in her obituary recalled, "...and I did.’"