Last suspect in Jessica Rehfeld’s murder case sets final status hearing before trial

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - On Monday, the last remaining suspect in a 2015 murder-for-hire case gets one more step closer to trial.

Richard Hirth, 42, accused of being hired by Jonathan Klinetobe to fatally stab Klinetobe’s ex-girlfriend, Jessica Rehfeld, is now set for his final status hearing on August 28 before his trial.

In court on Monday, the state filed to have a bifurcated trial, meaning the state would like to have two stages to the trial. The first would be the guilt phase, followed by the penalty phase. In Hirth’s case, if he is found guilty in the first phase of the trial, the next step will be determining his sanity at the time of the crime in the second phase.

Judge Heidi Linngren will decide whether to have a bifurcated trial by May 26.

The trial for Richard Hirth will begin on Sept. 18 and run through Oct. 20.