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Matthew Lane Inklebarger was sentenced to 50 years in prison for the 2020 stabbing death of former Cocoa councilmember Jim Wallen.

The victim, 76-year-old Jim Wallen, was a beloved community figure and former teacher.

Lucinda Wallen stood at the podium before the judge, dabbing tears as a statement, one describing the was read during a sentencing hearing for the man who pleaded guilty to taking Wallen’s life.

The statements came during a Nov. 17 hearing for 47-year-old Matthew Lane Inklebarger, sentenced in a plea deal to 50 years in state prison for the 2020 stabbing death of 75-year-old Wallen.

“Jim was not only my husband of 53 years but my best friend and partner …Every day feels emptier,” she said in a statement read by retired priest John Bender of St. Mark E

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