Search For Missing Mom Ends After 8-Year-Old Son Makes Admission To School Counselor
“Guilty Plea in Horrifying Murder Case: Husband Admits to Killing Wife”
A Tragic Incident Unfolds
In a chilling turn of events, 50-year-old Judson Keith Hoover has entered a guilty plea for the murder of his wife, 38-year-old Rebecca Ruth Hoover. This heartbreaking incident transpired shortly after Judson was charged with the crime, leaving a community stunned by the severity of the tragedy.
A Life Taken Away
Rebecca Hoover was last seen on August 2nd, and disturbingly, Judson filed for divorce a mere day later. Law enforcement officials have since confirmed that Rebecca was, in fact, already deceased when the divorce proceedings were initiated.
The heinous nature of the crime was unveiled when the couple’s eight-year-old son bravely disclosed to a school counselor that he had been an eyewitness to his father killing his mother.
In a heart-wrenching move, Judson’s guilty plea was driven by a desire to spare his young son from the traumatic experience of testifying in court.
The Unfolding Investigation
The New Albany Police Chief, Told Bailey, recounted the sequence of events that led to uncovering this horrific crime. The investigation began when Rebecca’s mother reported her daughter missing on August 4th. Upon officers’ arrival at Rebecca’s residence on St. Joseph Road, no trace of her was found.
Bailey explained, “Fast-forwarding to Aug. 27, our criminal investigators were alerted that Ms. Hoover’s disappearance may very well have been criminal in nature. Based on that information, our criminal investigators took everything into high gear and spent countless hours uncovering the facts of this case.”
A Grim Revelation
A forensic interview with an unnamed family member and the execution of search warrants at the couple’s residence yielded unsettling revelations. Rebecca’s lifeless body was recovered, and on the same day, Judson was taken into custody under suspicion of murder. Formal charges were promptly filed, and he made his guilty plea on the same day.
The chilling details emerged from a probable cause affidavit. The couple’s young son recounted witnessing his father subject his mother to a brutal assault, involving stomping on her head and striking her with keys. The child’s account painted a disturbing picture of the violent incident.
The Grim Truth
During his plea, Judson confessed to strangling Rebecca to death and initially leaving her body in the basement. However, the medical examiner’s findings contradicted this, establishing that Rebecca had died due to blunt force trauma to her head and torso, aligning with their son’s testimony.
In a truly horrifying revelation, authorities revealed that Rebecca’s body had also been mutilated. Shockingly, Judson claimed to have no memory of this disturbing act.
A Chilling Sequence of Events
Surveillance footage from a nearby storage facility provided an eerie timeline of events. On August 4th, moments after police visited the Hoover home in response to the missing person report, footage captured Judson appearing to move what seemed like a body.
Further footage on August 28th showed Judson returning to the storage unit, a day after police questioning, with a rented Dodge Caravan. He was seen transporting a large container into the vehicle.
Judson admitted to relocating the container, which contained his wife’s body, to another storage unit. It was at this subsequent location that Rebecca’s lifeless body was ultimately discovered.
In a heart-rending case that underscores the gravity of domestic violence and its devastating impact on families, this guilty plea brings a measure of closure to a deeply disturbing chapter.
