On Thursday, October 12, 2023, Henry Earl Dinkins was sentenced to two life terms without parole for the kidnapping and subsequent murder of 10-year-old Breasia Terrell. Breasia’s remains were found in a pond in March 2021, eight months after she was reported missing.
The conviction of Dinkins, 51, for first-degree murder and kidnapping occurred on September 15, 2023. This decision was the outcome of his admission of guilt. At the sentencing, the court also ruled that Dinkins must pay $150,000 in restitution to Breasia’s mother, Aishia Lankford.
Aishia Lankford spoke at the sentencing, addressing Dinkins, seeking clarity about her daughter’s final moments. She stated, “You took away everything,” emphasizing the magnitude of the loss.
The investigation surrounding Breasia’s disappearance spanned several months and involved both local and federal authorities.
Previously convicted of sexual abuse and listed as a registered sex offender, Dinkins was identified as a possible suspect shortly after Breasia’s disappearance.
Judge Henry Latham presided over a trial that lasted two weeks and included testimony from nearly 50 witnesses. Among the witnesses was Breasia’s younger half-brother, who is Dinkins’ son. His account, along with video evidence and phone records, supported the timeline of events on the day of Breasia’s disappearance. Bresia had been spending the night with the brother, who was eight at the time, and his father, Dinkins.
Despite the defense pointing to a lack of direct physical evidence connecting Dinkins to the crime, the testimony and electronic data were decisive factors in the guilty verdict.
