COCOA, Fla. — A man who admitted to murdering former Cocoa councilman James Wallen during a burglary in 2020 will serve 50 years in prison and then undergo lifetime probation.
Matthew Inklebarger stabbed Wallen in his garage during a robbery attempt. This week, he confessed in court as part of a plea deal to avoid a first-degree murder trial.
“We want to tell his story,” said Michele Wallen, James Wallen’s daughter-in-law. “We want the focus on him not so much how he died because he was an amazing person.”
‘We want to tell his story’: Family remembers patriarch, former Cocoa councilman, killed in home last week
James Wallen was a respected Cocoa community member, twice a city councilman and 37-year teacher. His family recalls him as someone who loved life and made every moment memorable.
Wallen’s wife, Lucinda, shared that they would have celebrated their 52nd wedding anniversary shortly after his death.
James Wallen’s legacy endures among his family and Cocoa community despite his tragic death.
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