Southwest Missouri Man Pleads Guilty To Beating and Stabbing An Elderly Man To Death

CARTHAGE, Mo. (AP) — A southwest Missouri man has pleaded guilty to beating and stabbing an elderly man to death while trying to steal prescription drugs. Brian Benefiel was sentenced to life in prison with a chance of parole after pleading guilty to second-degree murder and other charges in the death of Raymond Ritchhart. Benefiel had faced a first-degree murder charge in the December 2013 killing of Ritchhart.