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Klinetobe Appeals Life Sentence For Rapid City Murder Plot Conviction

SD Department of Corrections

A South Dakota inmate serving life without parole is asking the South Dakota Supreme Court to overturn his sentence.

Jonathon Klinetobe was charged with masterminding the plot that resulted in the 2015 murder of his former girlfriend in Rapid City.

He agreed to plead guilty to first-degree manslaughter and left it up to the judge to determine his sentence.

At oral arguments on Tuesday, Jan. 12, his attorney said the life sentence violates Klinetobe's Eighth Amendment right against cruel and unusual punishment.

Victoria Wicks has more of this story.

Rapid City freelancer Victoria L. Wicks has been producing news for SDPB since August 2007. She Retired from this position in March 2023.