DAVENPORT, Iowa — Both the state and defense gave their closing arguments Tuesday in the trial of Henry Dinkins, who is accused of murdering and kidnapping 10-year-old Breasia Terrell back in 2020.
The state rested its case on Monday, roughly halfway through its original list of witnesses. In addition, the defense asked for a motion of acquittal but the request was denied by the judge. Dinkins chose not to testify.
From the state
The state started closing arguments, with State's Attorney Kelly Cunningham laying out her synopsis of the case against Dinkins.
She began with the lies Dinkins told Aishia Lankford, Breasia's mom, when he first started dating her, including telling her he was in his late 20s when he was actually around two decades older. Previous statements claimed Dinkins was a father figure to Breasia but after the start of their relationship, the state said he didn’t show up for his biological son, let alone Breasia. The state added he only came around when he had a new car or girlfriend to show off.
During the morning of July 10, when Davenport Police Officer Craig Burkle responded to the call about Breasia missing, Dinkins created the impression that he was not familiar with the area and later ended up disappearing. The state urged the court to go back and look at body camera footage from that morning when Burkle asked, "Would you mind if I went in and searched?" to which Dinkins responded, “Well, we already searched.”
Dinkins brings Burkle to the apartment but rather than going in, Dinkins knocks as if he were a guest. Andrea Culberson, Dinkins' then-girlfriend, opens the door and Burkle explains he wants to go in. Andrea looks at Dinkins, who is multiple feet behind Burkle, and asks, “Did you ask him?” During that search, Dinkins leaves and no one can find him.
In addition to the behavior from that first day, the state also talks about Breasia's brother D.L., who provided a bombshell testimony during trial saying he saw Dinkins shoot Breasia. The new information had not been stated prior to trial.
The point the state wants to make about D.L. is this: Every claim he made was the information that led the police department in their investigation. D.L. stated he went to Dinkins' friend's house to play video games, which is consistent. The state also pointed out D.L.'s statement about Dinkins cleaning off the machete. Later, a fiber of a white washcloth was found in the blade of that machete.
D.L.'s statement on what Dinkins wore when he left also matched the statement of Jerod Brink, the man who pulled Dinkins out of a ditch near where Breasia's body was found. The state added three of the four soil samples taken from Dinkins' car matched the soil sampled at the pond where she was recovered.
The state credits Andrea Culberson as well, stating her information on the timeline is also consistent.
The state points out investigators know Dinkins went to a Clinton, Iowa Walmart to purchase bleach after D.L. put the battery back into Dinkins' phone. That single event allowed the state to uncover what happened in Clinton.
The state also found another topic to be very important: what type of child was Breasia? She was a truth teller, as stated by her grandmother, and a rule follower according to her mom. Breasia would tell on her brothers when they did something bad and the state believes this had a significant impact on the events of July 10, 2020.
The state used security camera footage to pinpoint Dinkins for 34 minutes at his RV and added that this was used to sexually assault Breasia before realizing she wouldn't keep it secret.
"The state asserts—when you consider the circumstances and you consider the purchase of bleach and the use of bleach—this child was sexually assaulted in this area," Cunningham said. "It became very clear to Mr. Dinkins that there was going to be no way for him to control this child. So, therefore, it forced him to take further action, which was the murdering of Breasia Terrell."
Articles of clothing were found with Breasia. The state pointed to her black shorts with discoloration. They stated bleach would've killed the DNA in a sexual assault, backfiring on the defense's claims about lack of physical evidence.
"Mr. Dinkins is very savvy. He knew what he needed to do to destroy the evidence. The only thing he couldn’t control was the soil samples found under the Impala," Cunningham said
While a majority of the evidence is circumstantial, the state said the evidence is overwhelming and asked that Dinkins be found guilty on all charges.
From the defense
The defense's closing argument focused on the lack of physical evidence and DNA from the state.
"Are you totally convinced that Henry Dinkins committed these crimes?" Defense Attorney Chad Frese asked the judge. "Is the evidence enough to say beyond unreasonable doubt Dinkins did these crimes?"
The defense said the state developed its theory of Dinkins sexually assaulting and killing Breasia too early in the case, adding that there was never physical evidence to prove it.
"This is not a 'who done it.' This is a 'who proved it' ... I find it ironic there is not a single piece of physical evidence that Henry Dinkins sexually assaulted this girl," Frese said.
Frese said no one ever put Breasia inside the Impala Dinkins was driving, saying that it was all an assumption from the state. He added that the state has tried to put together an elaborate timeframe for what they say could be Henry Dinkins.
"They didn’t even try, it was all an assumption," he said. "At 3:30 in the morning, they assume Breasia and Dinkins take off and he allegedly kills her. Someone takes the time to shoot her three times, somewhat cover it up, and get back to the apartment around 5:30 a.m. to pick up his son. He and his son go back to Clinton and at 7 they go to Walmart. They take their time and come back."
The defense also questions the state saying Breasia is a tattletale, asking why she would wait outside Dinkins' car while he went to grab a gun.
"The state did not present circumstantial evidence. They presented speculation," Frese said.
The defense also brings up Dinkins RV and the evidence found, or not found, there. Frese questions the theory of using bleach to clean up DNA but states that no odor of bleach was found in the RV. Frese also argues that bleach destroys DNA, but it cannot destroy trace evidence — adding that they stripped Henry Dinkins down naked, swabbed his penis, swabbed under his fingernails and found no DNA evidence.
An FBI crime team also swept through the RV, taking anything that might have DNA, blood or semen on it. Frese said they found nothing.
"They want to say she was assaulted in that RV? Then prove she was raped in that RV," Frese said.
The defense picks holes in more of the state's evidence. Frese said the machete was brand new and alleged that it could not have cut through branches without any evidence of use.
"There was not a nic on that machete, it was brand new. It could not have cut through branches. The other items the state presented were to scare you. The machete, the baseball bat? The hatchet? A baseball bat and hatchet is scary, yet had nothing to do with anything in this case," Frese said.
The defense also questions the soil samples saying that just because the samples could be the same soil, it doesn't definitely prove that they are. The defense also brings up D.L. testifying under oath and saying for the first time that he saw Dinkins shoot Breasia, arguing that the state cannot pick and choose what D.L. said is consistent. Fresse said D.L. was consistent on other things that did not help them, which they ignored.
"What motive did Henry Dinkins have to hurt this little girl? None. Was he there every day of her life? No. Was he a perfect father figure? No. But he was there enough to have a relationship with her. He was there enough that the grandmother was comfortable enough to send Breasia along," Frese said.
To read more on the trial of Henry Dinkins, click here. You can also watch the trial in its entirety on News 8's YouTube channel.
Watch the trial in its entirety on News 8's YouTube channel