Rebecca’s body was recovered and Judson taken into custody the same day on suspicion of murder.
Charges were then formally filed and he pleaded guilty on the same day.
According to the probable cause affidavit: “The child disclosed seeing his father stomp his mother in the head 20 times, wearing black boots, while she was lying on the ground next to a black refrigerator in the basement. The child also observed Judson Hoover punch Rebecca Hoover in the stomach with a set of keys in his hands, but she was unresponsive and did not move. The child observed blood coming from Rebecca Hoover’s head and left ear.”
On August 27, detectives spoke to Judson when he went to pick the kids from school, and he granted authorities consent to search the family’s home and vehicles.
Investigators and crime scene technicians discovered blood spatter at the bottom of the basement stairs.
During his plea, Judson stated that he’d strangled Rebecca to death and had initially left her in the basement.
However, the medical examiner concluded that Rebecca died of blunt force trauma to the head and torso, consistent with the son’s account.
