Hoover Enters Plea

A man arrested in 2021 in connection to a fatal stabbing pled guilty in a Steuben County courtroom. Prosecutors say Matthew Hoover entered into a plea agreement to one count of murder and 3 counts of burglary as a level 2 felony. Hoover could be sentenced between 45 and 65 years on the murder charge, and 10 to 30 years on the burglary charge…consecutively in the plea deal…making the total anywhere between 55 and 95 years. Hoover agreed to waive his right to appeal. We reported back in August of 2021, officers found Wilma Ball stabbed to death in her Lake James home. Detectives say…Hoover first denied ever being in Ball’s home and told investigators during an interview that he did not kill Ball. He later admitted to the crime, under oath. During the initial investigation of the crime scene, authorities found a beer can on a nightstand next to the bed Ball was found dead in. Testing found the can had Hoover’s DNA on it. His sentencing is set for October 4th.