Bost, Rubendall plead guilty to second-degree murder

CORNING — Jon A. Rubendall, 42, and James Keith Bost, 40, both pleaded guilty to second-degree murder after separate hearings starting 10 a.m. Tuesday at Adams County Courthouse in Corning.

The plea deal was for the second-degree murder death of Allen Pafford of Nodaway instead of first-degree murder and first-degree robbery charges.

Second-degree murder is a class B felony with a mandatory 50-year prison sentence. The sentencing for both Rubendall and Bost is tentatively scheduled for 11 a.m. May 16 at Adair County Courthouse in Greenfield.

Both Rubendall and Bost were being held on no bond until the sentencing hearing.

During the Tuesday hearings, Judge John Lloyd asked each defendant if they understood what they were doing and how the proceedings would work. They both said they understood.

During Rubendall’s hearing, Lloyd asked him to explain what happened June 19, 2015.

“Bost and I had went to Pafford’s house. Bost scored a settlement. ... When we got there I had put Mr. Pafford in a chokehold. Bost hit him over the head with a pistol,” Rubendall said. “I left the room, and that’s when I heard the gunshot go off.”

Bost’s hearing occurred after Rubendall’s, and he told Lloyd a different story.

“I was with Mr. Rubendall. We went to see Allen Pafford to collect money that was owed on a drug debt. I was under the impression we were going to rough him up, get the money and leave,” Bost said. “I did hit Mr. Pafford twice, and I knew that Jon Rubendall did have a gun because he displayed it often. I knew that as a result he shot Allen Pafford. Of the beating and the shots, that’s why Mr. Pafford died.”

Lloyd and Scott Brown, the assistant attorney general representing the prosecution, as well as the court-appointed attorneys for Bost and Rubendall, agreed the statements the defendants gave were factually based. Lloyd agreed to approve the amended trial information, which included the plea deals, once the hearings were completed.

Rubendall left his hearing with tears in his eyes. Bost’s face was stoic when he left the courtroom.

Background

According to an Adams County Sheriff report released in June 2015, Pafford’s mother, Kathryn Pafford, found her son in his bedroom and called 911 at 11:19 a.m. June 20, 2015.

The report states Pafford was found on his knees, slouched over, with his head on the floor. A bed sheet was wrapped around his neck and head, and his hands were bound with a blue nylon strap similar in nature to a truck or trailer ratchet tie-down. His feet were bound with a nylon rope that was connected to the blue strap. There appeared to be a bullet wound to the back of his head, according to the report.

According to the report, it was discovered two men fitting the general description of Bost and Rubendall, as well as a third man and a woman, were at the home of Jebidiah Dockweiler of Clarinda, who said they were interested in where they could find Pafford. Dockweiler was told Pafford owed the men money.

Dockweiler said the men shot two or three magazines from a Hi-Point handgun, striking a 55-gallon barrel that was placed on top of a pole. Dockweiler said the men picked up their spent shell casings. Dockweiler showed officers the area that the group shot the handgun. Three fired 9mm cartridge casings were located, and two bullets were also recovered from the barrel.

Investigators located a fired 9mm cartridge casing and a bullet that appeared to have come from a Hi-Point handgun. The bullet and shell casing were found next to Pafford’s body.

A June 22, 2015, autopsy performed by the associate state medical examiner ruled Pafford’s death a homicide.

Agents from the Iowa Department of Public Safety’s (DPS) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) traveled to Hiawatha, Kansas, June 26, 2015, to interview witnesses and persons of interest, including Bost and Rubendall.

During the interview, Bost said Pafford owed Rubendall $3,000 for drugs. Several items of Pafford’s were found in Rubendall’s residence.

The female witness with Bost and Rubendall at Pafford’s residence placed both Bost and Rubendall at the location inside the room where Pafford was found shot. The witness did not support Bost’s contention that he was not in Pafford’s residence when Pafford was shot.

Bost and Rubendall were originally charged June 26, 2015.