NEW ALBANY, Ind. — A New Albany man who pleaded guilty to murdering his wife in 2020 will remain in prison after the Indiana Court of Appeals upheld his 65-year sentence.
Judson Hoover was charged with one count of murder in 2020 after an investigation by the New Albany Police Department found Hoover's eight-year-old son told his school counselor he witnessed his father kill his mother, Rebecca Hoover.
Rebecca Hoover's body was found inside of a 55-gallon drum container inside of a Louisville storage unit. An autopsy corroborates what the child witnessed, her cause of death listed as blunt force trauma to the head and abdomen.
Hoover admitted in court he pleaded guilty to avoid his child testifying in court, and a Floyd County judge ordered him to the max sentence of 65 years.
Hoover appealed the sentence, saying the court abused its discretion "because the trial court only recognized [his] willingness to plead guilty as a 'moderate' mitigating circumstance rather than a significant one." The appeal also claimed the length of the sentence was inappropriate.
The court, though, sided with the Floyd County judge's ruling, saying the trial court did not abuse its discretion and the sentencing is appropriate as "Hoover's crime was particularly egregious."
"...The facts surrounding Hoover’s murder of [his wife] are particularly egregious, as he attempted to cover-up his crime by dismembering and hiding her corpse and falsely informed the court in a divorce proceeding that he was unaware of [her] whereabouts," the decision says.
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.
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