Man sentenced to prison for 2016 kidnapping and murder of Overland Park woman
An Ottawa, Kansas, man was sentenced to life in prison Thursday for the kidnapping and murder of an Overland Park woman in 2016.
Korrey Raine White Rinke, 26, pleaded guilty in June to first-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping. He was originally charged in 2016 with capital murder and rape.
Rinke will have the possibility of parole after 25 years. He was ordered Friday to register as a sex offender and pay more than $15,000 in restitution.
He admitted killing 46-year-old Julianna Pappas, whose body was found in a wooded area on 115th Street between Switzer and Indian Creek Parkway in Overland Park. She had been missing for more than a week.
Rinke allegedly told prosecutors in 2016 that he raped and beat Pappas after she refused to have sex with him. He said he left her in the park and “did not believe she would survive her injuries.”
At his sentencing Thursday, Rinke apologized for his crimes. He spoke about his experience in Alcoholics Anonymous and diagnosis of fetal alcohol syndrome.
He was diagnosed with the disorder by a forensic psychologist after his arrest. The psychologist, Lisa Witcher, testified Tuesday that Rinke’s diagnosis led to impaired cognitive function that impeded his ability to regulate his behavior and mood.
That condition, the psychologist said, was worsened as Rinke was “bounced around the system” in foster care throughout his childhood. Since he did not receive treatment for the condition as a child, she said, any treatment as an adult to address it would be “negligible.”
Rinke said he was unaware of the condition until after his arrest for Pappas’s murder and therefore never sought treatment.
“I’m sorry for drinking and I’m sorry for the death of Ms. Pappas,” Rinke said.
Rinke’s attorney filed a notice of appeal immediately after the hearing.
Prosecutors Thursday read a statement from Pappas’s brother, who lives in Texas.
The brother was unable to travel to Kansas for court proceedings but said his sister often came back to Texas and he had fond memories of dancing with her at the local Greek festival.
“She was a free spirit who trusted people,” He said. “Obviously for more than she should.”
He referred to his sisters death as “callous.” Because of the state of Pappas’s body, her brother said, the family was unable to give her an open casket funeral in accordance with Greek Orthodox traditions.
“I cannot bear to think of her last moments of life,” he said.
