(ANGOLA) – Sentence has been handed down to a man arrested in the 2021 murder of a Steuben County woman.

According to Steuben County Circuit Court officials, 31 year old Matthew Hoover of Yorktown, Indiana was sentenced to 65 years in the murder of 82 year old Wilma Ball, and 30 years for breaking into her house on Lake James.

Hoover entered guilty pleas to charges of murder and burglary, and the Steuben County Prosecutor dropped charges of attempted rape and attempted abuse of a corpse.

The Steuben County Sheriff's Department was sent to a residence at 395 Lake James Lane 200 East June 23, 2021 around 12:30 PM after receiving reports of an unresponsive woman inside the home. Deputies arrived and found Ball dead from a stab wound. Officials say deputies noticed unusual and suspicious circumstances at the home, and called in the Indiana State Police to assist.

Hoover was questioned by police a few days later and denied being in Ball’s house and also denied killing her. However, investigators found a beer can in Ball’s bedroom that tested positive for Hoover’s DNA.