Man, 19, pleads 'no contest' in death of 48-year-old man

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) - A Martin man who authorities say bludgeoned a man to death in 2012 has pleaded no contest to second-degree murder charges.

Bennett County State's Attorney Ken Orrock said this week that Matthew Libby, now 19, has no recollection of the events that led to the death of 48-year-old Albert Apple.

Authorities say Libby was drinking at a November 2012 party before he encountered Apple, reported the Rapid City Journal (http://bit.ly/1yuTrGB ). They say the teen drove Apple out of town to where he hit and kicked him.

Apple's body was found in a ditch and an autopsy showed that he died from severe blunt force trauma to his head. Evidence found at the scene connected Libby to the murder, according to court documents.

Libby was 17 when a grand jury indicted him on charges of first-degree murder, robbery and burglary. His attorneys sought to move the case to juvenile court, but Sixth Circuit Judge Kathleen Trandahl rejected the request.

The first-degree murder charge, along with robbery and burglary, were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.

Orrock said Apple's family was satisfied with the plea agreement. The prosecuting attorney will ask Trandahl for a maximum sentence of 48 years wen Libby is sentenced on March 13.

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Information from: Rapid City Journal, http://www.rapidcityjournal.com