NEW ALBANY, Ind — A Floyd County judge ordered Judson Hoover to the max sentence of 65 years Friday. The judge also ordered that Hoover must have no family contact.
Hoover was convicted and pleaded guilty to murdering his wife in New Albany in August. He was charged with one count of murder in September.
His wife, Rebecca Hoover, was murdered in the family's home. Rebecca Hoover was reported as missing by her mother days after the murder, she cited that she had not heard from her daughter in a few days.
During the New Albany Police Department investigation, an affidavit in the case shows the couple's 8-year-old son told their school counselor that he witnessed their father kill their mother. Judson Hoover admitted in court that he pleaded guilty to avoid his child from testifying in court.
Floyd County Prosecutor Chris Lane said it’s unusual to have a murder case move this quickly.
“We are so thankful for the police department, the court system working efficiently in this case to come to a just resolution in this case," said Lane. "We’re thankful the family can have closure. While they’ll never fully heal, we’re so thankful we can do our duty and hold this man responsible.”
Rebecca Hoover's body was found inside of a 55-gallon drum container inside of a Louisville storage unit. An autopsy corroborates what their child witnessed, Rebecca Hoover's cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head and abdomen.
Before her murder, Judson Hoover had a history of domestic abuse. Police records show at least 23 calls for service to the Hoover home since January 1, 2020. The reasons vary from welfare checks to harassment, sexual assault, arguments and fights.
Before he was sentenced Hoover spoke to the court and said, “I wish I could turn back time before that day,” and that in “trying to protect the kids from what she was becoming, I destroyed it all.”
Police incident reports show domestic disputes between the couple dating back to 2017.
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