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State seeking victim restitution from Henry Dinkins

Aishia Lankford, Breasia's mom, filed a claim in September for lost wages, trial-related expenses and expected burial costs.

DAVENPORT, Iowa — Henry Dinkins, who was found guilty of the murder and kidnapping of Breasia Terrell back in 2020, will be returning to the courtroom in December. 

Dinkins is scheduled for a restitution hearing on Dec. 14 at 1:30 p.m., according to court documents. The state is seeking victim restitution for Aishia Lankford, the mother of Breasia, after she filed a compensation claim last month. 

Lankford is seeking restitution for lost wages, trial-related expenses and expected burial costs, according to court documents. 

The state is asking Dinkins to pay $6,055.25 to the Iowa Crime Victim Compensation Program, which has already paid Lankford following that initial claim on Sept. 30, according to court documents. However, this amount does not include expected burial costs, which could tack on hundreds of more dollars. 

Dinkins was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences with no chance of parole back on Oct. 11. He was found guilty of first-degree kidnapping and first-degree murder in September. 

Case background:

On July 9, 2020, Breasia spent the night with her half-brother, D.L, at Dinkins' Davenport apartment. Dinkins is the father of D.L., who came home the next morning, but Breasia did not. 

Breasia was reported missing on July 10. Her remains were found several months later in Clinton County by two fishermen. 

On May 5, 2021, then-Scott County Attorney Mike Walton announced Dinkins was being charged with the killing of Breasia, on or around July 10, 2020. 

On June 16, 2021, Dinkins pled not guilty to Terrell's murder. 

Due to pretrial publicity, Dinkins successfully requested to have his trial moved to a different county on March 25, 2022. On April 20, 2023, the Iowa Supreme Court made the decision to move the trial to Linn County. 

Dinkins also changed lawyers following a breakdown of the attorney-client relationship. The day that jury selection was set to begin in Linn County on Aug. 8, Dinkins waived his right to a jury trial. That brought the case back to Scott County for a bench trial under Judge Henry Latham. 

Proceedings in Scott County began two days later on Aug. 10. Witnesses testified and evidence was presented over the course of 14 days, with closing arguments wrapping up on Tuesday, Aug. 29.

To read the full court blog, click here.

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