DAVENPORT, Iowa — Henry Dinkins will be spending the rest of his life in prison for the murder and kidnapping of 10-year-old Breasia Terrell back in 2020.
Judge Henry Latham announced Dinkins' sentencing Wednesday, Oct. 11 in a Scott County courtroom, giving the defendant two consecutive life sentences with no possibility of parole.
Aishia Lankford, Breasia's mother, gave a victim impact statement during the hearing, speaking directly to Dinkins about how his actions have changed her life.
"Henry Dinkins, closure doesn't exist here in this case. Justice doesn't exist here in this case," Lankford said. "You didn't just take away my baby's life, you took away everything from me. My family's sense of security, laughs, health and potential. Potential for Breaisa to be someone's wife, the potential to be a mother, a college graduate, prom, everything."
Dinkins also spoke during the hearing today for over 20 minutes, accusing the state of creating a narrative and making him guilty from the beginning.
Watch the sentencing and Breasia's mother's victim impact statement in its entirety below.
Dinkins was found guilty of first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping back on Sept. 15. These charges are both considered a class A felony in Iowa which, according to state code, comes with a mandatory life sentence with no possibility of parole. Only the state governor has the power to reduce the sentence.
The trial lasted roughly two weeks, with the state resting its case only halfway through its original list of witnesses. The defense asked for a motion of acquittal due to a lack of physical evidence, but the request was denied by the judge. Dinkins chose not to testify.
During closing arguments on Tuesday, Aug. 29, the state outlined its entire case against Dinkins and stood its ground on evidence concerns. They argued that while the evidence was circumstantial, it was overwhelming enough to reach a verdict.
"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."
The defense's closing argument poked holes in the evidence presented by the state. They also accused the state of developing their theory too early in the case that Dinkins sexually assaulted and killed Breasia.
"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," defense attorney Chad Frese said.
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.
More information on the death of Breasia Terrell and the trial of Henry Dinkins can be found on News 8's YouTube channel