RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) – A Sturgis man accused of hiring others to kidnap and kill his girlfriend has reached a plea deal with prosecutors.
The 30-year-old, Jonathan Klinetobe pleaded guilty Friday to aiding and abetting first-degree manslaughter in the 2015 stabbing death of 22-year-old Jessica Rehfeld. Her body was found in a remote grave near Rockerville a year later.
In exchange for the guilty plea, prosecutors dropped charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, aggravated first-degree kidnapping and conspiracy to commit kidnapping.
If Klinetobe had been found guilty of the murder charge, he would have faced a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole. He now faces a maximum of life in prison without parole.
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