Man sentenced to 95 years in Lake James slaying

STEUBEN COUNTY, Ind. (Fort Wayne’s NBC) - The man accused of murdering an 82-year-old Lake James woman was sentenced to 95 years by a Steuben County judge Monday morning.

According to Steuben County Prosecutor Jeremy Musser, Matthew Hoover was given the maximum sentence for both charges. Hoover was given 65 years for murder and 30 years for Level 2 burglary. Musser says the judge took the aggravating circumstances and the particularly heinous nature of the crime into consideration when sentencing Hoover.

Matthew Hoover was arrested on Aug. 4, 2021, for the fatal stabbing of 82-year-old Wilma Ball on June 23. Police say DNA evidence led them to his arrest.

On August 17, 2022, Hoover entered into a plea agreement of murder and burglary -- dropping the attempted rape and attempted abuse of a corpse charges.

Musser says six people gave statements during the sentencing, five family members and one very close friend. All of them said Ball was so active, she was 82 going on 60.