Death penalty withdrawn for 2nd man in murder-for-hire case

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) - Prosecutors won’t seek the death penalty against a second suspect accused in a murder-for-hire case in western South Dakota.

Pennington County prosecutors withdrew a request this week to pursue capital punishment against Richard Hirth if he is convicted of the 2015 fatal stabbing of Jessica Rehfeld, 22, the Rapid City Journal reported .

Police found Rehfeld’s body in a remote grave near Rockerville in May 2016, a year after she disappeared. Rehfeld’s ex-boyfriend, Jonathon Klinetobe, was accused of hiring Hirth to kill her.

Hirth, 37, and Klinetobe, 28, have pleaded not guilty to charges including murder. Both men now face life in prison without parole.

The withdrawal this week came at the request of the Rehfeld family. The victim’s father, Michael Rehfeld, testified Monday that attempting to sentence the men to death would give them more publicity and prevent his family from getting closure.

The decision isn’t uncommon after families learn that the appeal process can last decades and trigger memories of the crime, said Robert Dunham, executive director of nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center.

Michael Rehfeld noted in his testimony that his family would not be able to recover Jessica’s personal belongings held in evidence during appeals.

“We are seeing this more and more around the country,” Dunham said. “Families of homicide victims are telling prosecutors that they don’t want the death penalty.”

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Information from: Rapid City Journal, http://www.rapidcityjournal.com