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Kevin L. Rinehart, who had been held in the Carroll County Jail in Delphi since May of this year, when the body of Rhonda Marie Milburn, 15, was found in Rock Creek, has entered a plea of guilty to the charges of murder and confinement in the case. The pleas were part of a plea agreement, according to Carroll County Prosecuting Attorney Jeffrey R. Smith, who announced the plea on Friday, November 8, 1985. The body of Rhonda Marie Milburn was found on May 10, 1985, in Rock Creek, 10 miles north of Flora, where she had lived. An autopsy determined that the teenager had been sexually molested and strangled. Rinehart, who had been a friend of the family, was ar rested the following day and charged with the murder. In a statement to police, he described how he had kill ed the girl while the two were engaged in sexual con tact. Numerous threats of violence were received after the arrest of Rinehart, and a large number of state, county and local police provided security around the Carroll County Courthouse when Rinehart was ar raigned on the charges. The attorney for Rinehart, Charles H. Scrugg of Kokomo, had said that his client would plead innocent by reason of insanity, and had the trial moved to the Grant Circuit Court in Marion, Indiana, because of pre-trial publicity in Carroll County. On November 8, 1985, Kevin L. Rinehart appeared in the Grant Circuit Court in Marion, Indiana, and entered a plea of guilty to the charges of murder and confinement of Rhonda Marie Milburn. The pleas were part of a plea agreement entered into by Rinehart and his attorney, Charles H. Scrugg, and the State of Indiana represented by Carroll County Prosecuting Attorney Jeffrey R. Smith. Under the terms of the agreement, Rinehart will receive a sixty year sentence for the offense of murder and a twenty year sentence for the offense of confinement. The sentences are to be served consecutively. Grant Circuit Court Judge Thomas Hunter took the acceptance of the pleas under advisement, and ordered a pre-sentence in vestigation prepared by the probation officer. The next hearing date will be November 25, 1985, at 9:30 a.m. If the plea agreement is accepted, Rinehart will be sentenced at that time. Rinehart was transported to the Grant County jail on Thursday, November 7, 1985, where he will remain until after the hearing on November 25, 1985. According to prosecuting attorney Jeffrey R. Smith, Rinehart will not be elgible for parole since his sentence will be for a determined period of 80 years. With good time, Rinehart could be released in May of 025 if he received the maximum possible good time credit. The minimum confinement will be forty years.
Newspaper Details
Delphi Journal
Delphi, Indiana, US
Wed, Nov 13, 1985
Page 9
Full Page
Clipped by
Lara D.
USA 22 Jun 2026
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