Breasia Terrell; Henry Earl Dinkins.Photo:Iowa Amber Alert (2)
Iowa Amber Alert (2)
An Iowa man was convicted Friday of abducting and killing a 10-year-old girl who was missing for eight months before her remains were found in a pond, according to multiple news reports.
Henry Earl Dinkins, 51, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and kidnapping in the death of 10-year-old Breasia Terrell, according to theAssociated Press, theQuad-City Times,and theClinton Herald.
Local and federal authorities searched for the girl for several months.
The search came to a tragic end on March 22, 2021, in DeWitt, Iowa, when remains later identified as Breasia’s were found, police said.
According to the AP, prosecutors said Dinkins took Breasia to a site where he sexually assaulted her and then killed her. The defense reportedly argued there was no physical evidence linking Dinkins to Breasia’s sexual assault and murder.
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During the trial, Breasia’s younger brother testified that he had woken up in the middle of the night during the sleepover and noticed his father, Dinkins, and his sister were gone, according to theClinton Herald.When Dinkins returned just before 6 a.m. on July 10, 2020, the boy said Dinkins picked him up and took him to a local Walmart, where Dinkins bought bleach and then traveled to a location where Breasia’s body was later found. Video surveillance and cellular data reportedly confirmed his movements.
Dinkins is expected to be sentenced on Oct. 11 and faces life in prison, per the news outlets.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go torainn.org.
source: people.com
