The man accused of murdering a longtime Cocoa school teacher and former city councilman pled guilty and was sentenced to 50 years in prison on Monday.

Matthew Inklebarger, 47, told a judge on Nov. 17 that he stabbed Jim Wallen to death in Wallen's garage during an attempted burglary. The confession came in front of Wallen's family and friends in a courtroom in Viera and was required as part of Inklebarger's plea deal.

Inklebarger had been charged with first-degree murder but instead pled guilty to second-degree murder and received the 50-year prison sentence followed by a lifetime of probation. Inklebarger also pled guilty to theft and burglary of a dwelling, leading to a concurrent 15-year sentence.

Wallen was 75 at the time of his murder in August 2020. He was a well-known member of t

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