Dent County Man Pleads Guilty to 2nd Degree Murder

(Salem) A Dent County man, already in prison on a life sentence, has received 25 more years after pleading guilty to 2nd degree murder in the death of Steven Strotkamp.

Back in 2011, Marvin Rice shot and killed Annette Durham, his ex-girlfriend at her Dent County home.

Rice also shot and killed Strotkamp, Durham’s current boyfriend.

Rice wanted his ex to return to him their son that he was the father of.

After the murders, Rice, who happened to be a former Dent County sheriff’s deputy, took police on a high speed chase from Dent County all the way to Jefferson City, where he was finally arrested following a shootout near the Capitol Plaza Hotel.

Strange circumstances surround this case though.

Rice was finally convicted by a jury in 2017 for 1st degree murder of Durham and the jury recommended the death penalty.

The case then went back to the Missouri Supreme Court which said yes Rice is guilty of 1st degree murder but the high court ordered a re-sentencing trial.

The jury recommended death again but a judge later reversed what the jury had called for twice and gave him his life sentence.

Rice’s 2nd degree murder guilty plea for Strotkamp’s death came just days before his trial was about to happen.

Rice was facing 1st degree murder again but his plea deal may have saved him from the death penalty once again.

This latest 25-year sentence will run concurrent with Rice’s life sentence he is currently serving.