Man Sentenced To Life In Prison For Beating Elderly Woman To Death

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- One of two men accused in the beating death of a 79-year-old woman inside her St. Paul home in 2017 has been sentenced to life in prison.

On Monday, Kevin Reek was sentenced on a first-degree murder charge to life in prison for killing Myong Gossel. He will spend at least 30 years in prison in St. Cloud before becoming eligible for parole.

Gossel, 79, was found dead in her east side home on the 2300 block of Nokomis Avenue on Jan. 4, 2017. She died of blunt force trauma.

Related: 2 Charged In Death Of 79-Year-Old St. Paul Woman

Another man, identified as Richard Joles, was also arrested and charged in the beating death. Investigators believe Joles, who worked as a handyman for Gossel, used that relationship to set her up to be robbed and killed.

According to the criminal complaint, Joles' fingerprints were found on top of a file cabinet and on the back of a jewelry box in Gossel's bedroom.

When questioned and shown a picture of Gossel's bruised body, Joles told investigators that he knew she was beaten to death.

Joles has yet to be sentenced in the death.