Delaware County man pursuing insanity defense in murder case
Muncie Star Press
MUNCIE, Ind. — An attorney for a Delaware County man accused of killing an 82-year-old woman in her northern Indiana home is pursuing an insanity defense.
Matthew R. Hoover, 29, of rural Yorktown, is charged in Steuben Circuit Court with murder, burglary while armed with a deadly weapon, attempted rape and attempted abuse of a corpse.
Hoover was arrested in August on allegations he had attacked and fatally stabbed 82-year-old Wilma Bell, who lived in a home along Lake James, about 45 miles north of Fort Wayne.
Hoover had been staying with his brother, who lived near the homicide victim. The brother said in the immediate wake of the June slaying, Hoover took a truck without permission and drove to the home of relatives in rural Yorktown.
According to court documents, DNA testing linked Hoover to a beer can found in the slaying victim's home. The Delaware County man reportedly confessed to the killing.
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In recent weeks, Hoover's defense attorney, Benjamin Nordmann of Fort Wayne, filed a "notice of affirmative defense of insanity or mental illness."
Judge Allen Wheat appointed two mental health professionals to examine the defendant and offer their opinions on whether he was able to "appreciate the wrongfulness of his conduct" at the time of the homicide, and also whether he is now capable of assisting in his defense.
Hoover's trial was at first set for Nov. 29, but has since been rescheduled for April 18.
In Indiana, a murder conviction carries a maximum 65-year prison term. The attempted rape charge is a Level 1 felony carrying up to 40 years in prison.
Hoover is being held without bond in the Steuben County jail in Angola.
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Douglas Walker is a news reporter for The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.