Man pleads guilty in St. Joseph beating death

A St. Joseph man has pleaded guilty to participating in the beating death of a man whose body was dumped near the Missouri River in Leavenworth, Kan.

Martin Rilinger, 49, pleaded guilty Thursday to second-degree murder in the September murder of 38-year-old Jason Davies.

Authorities say Davies was killed at a St. Joseph apartment before his body was taken to the river. Another suspect, 39-year-old Robert Jarrell, is also charged in the case.

The St. Joseph News-Press reports that Rilinger was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Rillinger told the court Jarrell was beaten with a frying pan and baseball bat during a fight. No one in the apartment stopped the fight, and they eventually took the body to the river, using a wheelbarrow to dispose of it.

This story was originally published February 14, 2014 at 10:37 AM with the headline "Man pleads guilty in St. Joseph beating death."