Judson Keith Hoover, a 50-year-old man, pleaded guilty to the murder of his wife, 38-year-old Rebecca Ruth Hoover, just hours after being officially charged.
Rebecca was last seen alive on August 2nd. The following day, Judson filed for divorce. Authorities later confirmed that she had already been killed by the time the paperwork was submitted.
The horrifying truth came to light after their eight-year-old son told a school counselor that he had witnessed his father murder his mother.
Reports indicate that Judson chose to plead guilty to spare his son the trauma of testifying in court.
New Albany Police Chief Todd Bailey explained that the investigation began when Rebecca’s mother reported her missing on August 4. Police officers visited the couple’s home on St. Joseph Road, but found no trace of her.
Bailey recounted, “By August 27, our detectives received critical information suggesting that Rebecca’s disappearance was likely a criminal matter. From that point on, investigators worked tirelessly to uncover the truth.”
Authorities then conducted a forensic interview with a relative and executed search warrants at the couple’s home.
That same day, Rebecca’s body was found and Judson was arrested on suspicion of murder. He formally pleaded guilty immediately after charges were filed.
According to the probable cause affidavit, the child described seeing his father stomp on his mother’s head approximately 20 times while wearing black boots. Rebecca lay motionless on the ground next to a black refrigerator in the basement. The boy also recalled seeing his father punch her in the stomach while holding a set of keys, but she didn’t respond. He noticed blood coming from her head and left ear.
On August 27, Judson was interviewed by detectives when he arrived to pick up his children from school. He gave consent for police to search the family’s home and vehicles.
Crime scene investigators found blood spatter at the bottom of the basement stairs.
During his confession, Judson claimed he strangled Rebecca and initially left her body in the basement. However, the medical examiner ruled her cause of death as blunt force trauma to the head and torso—corroborating the son’s account.
Authorities also revealed that Rebecca’s body had been mutilated, though Judson claimed he didn’t remember doing it.
Surveillance footage from a nearby storage facility showed Judson transporting what appeared to be a body on August 4, shortly after officers first visited the home to follow up on the missing person report.
On August 28—just one day after being questioned by detectives—Judson was again seen on camera at the same facility, this time driving a rented Dodge Caravan and loading a 55-gallon plastic container into the vehicle.
He later admitted to moving Rebecca’s body to a different storage unit on Strawberry Lane in Louisville. It was there that police recovered her remains.