RAPID CITY – A 44-year-old man will serve the rest of his life in prison after fatally stabbing a 22-year-old woman nearly a decade ago in a murder-for-hire plot orchestrated by the victim’s ex-boyfriend.
In a news release, the Pennington County State’s Attorney’s Office stated that on July 7, a judge sentenced Richard Hirth to life in prison without the possibility of parole in connection with Jessica Rehfeld’s death. He pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting first-degree manslaughter, and his initial first-degree murder charge was dropped.
According to prosecutors, Rehfeld filed a protection order against her ex-boyfriend, Jonathon Klinetobe, on May 12, 2015, out of concern for her safety. Several days later, she reportedly left her then-boyfriend’s home with two men, Hirth and David Schneider. She was never seen again, and her friends and family reported her missing on May 22, 2015.
The following year, on May 13, 2016, authorities said a witness came forward in Wyoming and revealed where her body was. The witness allegedly led investigators to a burial site near Rockerville, South Dakota, where Rehfeld’s remains were found.
Prosecutors said that further investigation revealed that Rehfeld’s ex, Klinetobe, hired Hirth and Schneider to kill the victim in exchange for $80,000. According to the attorney’s office, Hirth repeatedly stabbed Rehfeld inside Schneider’s vehicle.
Klinetobe reportedly assisted the men in burying her body. Prosecutors claim Klinetobe then hired two more people, Michael Frye and Garland Brown, to rebury the victim in a deeper grave.
Klinetobe was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, whereas Schneider was given a 75-year sentence with parole eligibility after 35 years. Authorities said Frye and Brown pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact and were sentenced to five years in prison.
According to the attorney’s office, Hirth was the last defendant to be sentenced and the one who “carried out the final, brutal act.” As stated by prosecutors, “He callously stabbed Jessica multiple times, ending her life in an act the court described as ‘heinous and senseless.'”
