Is it possible to have sympathy for a killer? Cursed with the mental development of a child and an IQ of 52, John Hogendobler was an impoverished farmer with a heart of gold. And after he shot his wife in 1941, there were many who believed Hogendobler had gotten a raw deal-- by the Department of Public Assistance, by Northumberland County officials, by his own attorneys, and by life in general.