°®¶¹app

The sentencing marked a close on the court case that spanned five defendants and nine years. Rehfeld's sister said every court hearing is like another funeral.Ā 

Richard Hirth, 44, killed RehfeldĀ on May 18, 2015 at the request of her ex-boyfriend, Jonathon Klinetobe. Just six days prior, Rehfeld got a protection order against Klinetobe, citing fear for her life.Ā 

Hirth is the fifth and final person to be sentenced for involvement in Rehfeld's murder and the events following it.

Just ahead of the sentencing, Hirth pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting first-degree manslaughter. The plea was a significant reduction from the death penalty-eligible case he originally faced, which included first-degree murder and kidnapping charges. If convicted of first-degree murder, Hirth would have faced a mandatory life sentence, whereas a manslaughter charge has no mandatory minimum.

According to court documents, Hirth and another man, David Schneider, were falsely told by Klinetobe the Hells Angels would pay $80,000 for her murder.Ā 

Schneider testified on Monday the killing started out with Klinetobe asking him and Hirth to talk to Rehfeld about dropping the protection order, but it "spiraled out of control." The conversation escalated to talking about scaring her before finally settling on killing her.

Hirth and Schneider picked up Rehfeld on May 18, 2015 under the guise of taking her to work and protecting her, since she had expressed fear of Klinetobe. Schneider drove, Rehfeld sat in the front passenger seat and Hirth sat behind her.Ā 

In a six-minute video of Klinetobe confessing to a detective in 2016, he said he did what he could "to get her to relax a bit" as they drove.Ā 

He told the detective he lined her seat with towels, telling her it was because he had spilled something on it and didn't want her to get wet.Ā 

"She didn't think anything of it," he said.Ā 

"I was so focused," he continued. "I didn't feel anything. I was void."Ā 

Hirth then described stabbing Rehfeld multiple times. Schneider testified he held her down while she begged for her life.

"That will stay with me for the rest of my life," he said.Ā 

He and Schneider then met up with Klinetobe and the three drove into the Black Hills and buried Rehfeld in a shallow grave. Two weeks later, Klinetobe and two other men ā€” Garland Brown and Michael Frye ā€” dug up Rehfeld and reburied her in a deeper grave.Ā 

A woman who gave Klinetobe a ride to visit the burial site led law enforcement to the area of Rehfeld's body about a year after her death. Judge Heidi Linngren said if it weren't for that woman, the murder could still be unsolved.Ā 

Rehfeld remembered by family as spunky, cheerful, caring

Family and friends of Rehfeld took the stand on Monday to describe the young woman they loved and ask the judge for a sentence befitting of the suffering she underwent.Ā 

Sean McHenry, a lifelong friend of Rehfeld's father Michael Rehfeld, said she was a "spunky and cheerful young lady that had a lot of living to do."

Since her death, he said he sees glimpses of his old friend, but he's also seen "a busted version of my friend" who struggles with anxiety.Ā 

Stacie Kellogg, a friend of Michael Rehfeld who became close with him volunteering at a camp for people with disabilities, said Jessica Rehfeld volunteered as a teen at the camp. She "brought a lot of energy" and "cared very much for our campers."Ā 

Her grandfather, John Rehfeld, said, "She was a real character." He recalled how she would rest her chin on his shoulder and watch him play solitaire on a computer. When he couldn't solve it, she would take over and finish the game for him.Ā 

"She was very smart," Rehfeld said.Ā 

Her sister, Misty Rehfeld, lamented the "long, drawn-out process" the family has undergone. Referencing his recorded confession, she said Hirth described what he did "with no shame, and not even a hint of remorse."Ā 

"Jessica loved fiercely, and she was loyal," she said.Ā 

Rehfeld's father's remarks centered around the wishes his daughter had. He said she talked about wanting to be a mother just a few months before her death. He said she wished to no longer be in a relationship with Klinetobe.

"Jessica lost her life for that wish," he said.Ā 

Turning to the night of her murder, Michael Rehfeld emphasized how she pleaded for her life, asked to talk to her father to say goodbye, and finally, asked to see the stars before she died.

"He denied her pleas," he said.Ā 

Her request to see the stars is something Pennington County State's Attorney Lara Roetzel said has stuck with her.Ā 

"She clung to the beautiful," Roetzel said.Ā 

As for Hirth, he made a few brief comments in the hearing.

Hirth said he knows "sorry,"Ā "doesn't come anywhere close to fixing it, adding he hopes the family can find closure and peace after "all the events." He did not directly apologize.

One of Hirth's attorneys, Conor Duffy, asked the court for a 50-year sentence. He highlighted Hirth's lack of a criminal history outside of this "appalling aberration."Ā 

Hirth's case plagued with delays

The question of Hirth's competency was a central reason to the seemingly endless delays in his case. He initially pleaded not guilty, but then changed his plea to not guilty by reason of insanity in 2019. From there, he underwent competency evaluations and competency restoration, cemented with a court order in 2020.Ā 

After a total of four trial dates were cancelled or moved, jury selection began in September 2023. After four days, that trial also failed to take off when an expert witness refused to testify after the court ruled the state could ask about accusations he illegally sold ketamine.Ā 

Ultimately, the state and Hirth agreed to a guilty but mentally ill plea, which was entered on Monday.

According to a medical report the judge referenced, Hirth was diagnosed with paranoid personality disorder. Although the judge considered it a mitigating factor, she emphasized the condition did not prevent Hirth from planning out the murder and staying quiet about it for a year.Ā 

"You made the choices to do what you did," she told Hirth before sentencing him.Ā 

She added he showed no remorse and quoted Hirth telling the psychiatrist interviewing him for the evaluation, "I am a monster. You are not safe with me."Ā Ā 

Other sentences

Klinetobe is in prison for life without parole after he pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting first-degree manslaughter. The South °®¶¹app Supreme Court upheld his sentence following a failed appeal in 2021.

Schneider received a 75-year sentence after he pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting first-degree manslaughter. He is still in prison.Ā 

Brown and Frye, who helped with the reburying, each pleaded guilty to accessory to a felony. Brown was sentenced to five years in prison with one suspended. He was released in 2018, according to South °®¶¹app Department of Corrections records.Ā 

Frye received a five-year suspended sentence with five years of probation. He completed his sentence in May this year.Ā