Iowa man accused of killing 10-year-old pleads not guilty

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa man charged in the killing of a 10-year-old girl who was missing for nine months before her remains were found in a pond has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and kidnapping.

Henry Dinkins, 48, entered the pleas Wednesday in Scott County District Court. He’s accused of kidnapping Breasia Terrell from a Davenport apartment complex in July, fatally shooting her and hiding her body in rural eastern Iowa. Breasia was the half sister of Dinkins’ son, and investigators say both children were staying the night with him at the apartment where he was living with a girlfriend.

The girl’s disappearance prompted a monthslong search that ended in March when two people fishing near DeWitt discovered her remains.

Dinkins, a registered sex offender with a history of violent and reckless behavior, had been granted an early release from prison less than four months before Breasia disappeared.

A trial date for Dinkins in the murder case was set for July 12, but that’s likely to be postponed as attorneys prepare for the case.