x
Breaking News
More () »

Timeline of Events: Henry Dinkins awaits trial for death of Breasia Terrell

A Scott County judge has denied Dinkins' second request for a new lawyer and upheld the May 9 trial date.

DAVENPORT, Iowa — EDITOR'S NOTE: The video above is from July 12, 2021. 

Breasia Terrell was 10 years old when she was reported missing. Nine months later, her remains were found in a remote area of Clinton County.

Here's a timeline of events in the case so far: 

July 9, 2020: Breasia's mother, Aishia Lankford, said Breasia and her half-brother Detorious stayed the night with Henry Dinkins and his girlfriend at their Davenport apartment. Dinkins is the father of Aishia's youngest son Detorious.

July 10, 2020: Breasia was last seen in the early hours of Friday, July 10, 2020 in the 2700 block of East 53rd Street. She was last seen wearing a white t-shirt, shorts and flip-flops. The Davenport Police Department searched Credit Island as Aishia Lankford, Breasia's mother, said her daughter was last seen near there.

July 14, 2020: After days of search efforts by police, Breasia's family and the community, Davenport police officially announced Henry Dinkins was a person of interest in the case and was in custody on unrelated sex offender charges. Davenport Police Chief Paul Sikorski asked the public about Dinkins' whereabouts in the Quad Cities from 10 p.m. Thursday, July 9 to noon Friday, July 10.

Credit: Davenport Police Department

July 16, 2020: Since Dinkins is believed to have connections to the Camanche and Clinton, Iowa areas, the search for Breasia is expanded to Clinton County.

July 20, 2020: Dozens of people volunteered over several days to search for Breasia before police called off search efforts with no new updates. News 8 spoke with Breasia's mother, Aishia who confirmed Dinkins is the father of her youngest son, Detorious, who is Breasia's half-brother. 

July 25, 2020: Dinkins is wanted in Bureau County, Illinois on two counts of manufacturing and delivering more than two pounds of meth. The reward for information leading to an arrest or tips that lead to finding Breasia is increased to $13,500.

Aug. 5, 2020: Aishia responds to News 8 on questions about her cooperation in the investigation after a Davenport police press conference on July 22. The searches for Breasia are ongoing.

Aug. 31, 2020: Henry Dinkins is moved from Scott County Jail to Clinton County Jail.

Sept. 8, 2020: The Davenport Community School District began their 2020-2021 school year. Breasia would've started Fifth Grade.

Nov. 14-15, 2020: Breasia's family organized a two-day march in Davenport to continue to raise awareness about the case.

Dec. 4, 2020: Breasia turned 11-years-old. The FBI's Omaha, Nebraska office marked the occasion by tweeting out a call for information and offering a $10,000 reward.

Dec. 10, 2020: Davenport police ensured the Quad Cities community that officers are continuing to investigate and asked for any additional information about Breasia's disappearance from the public.

March 22, 2021:  Fishermen find human remains near DeWitt, Iowa, in a remote area of Clinton County. 

March 31, 2021: Davenport Police Chief Paul Sikorski confirms in a press conference that an autopsy identified the human remains found in Clinton County as Breasia Terrell. Police confirm no charges have been filed in connection to her death.  The case is considered a homicide. 

May 5, 2021: Scott County Attorney Mike Walton announced charges against Henry Dinkins.  Dinkins was charged with first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping.  Walton said Dinkins is accused of shooting and killing Breasia.

May 7, 2021: Henry Dinkins made his first court appearance.

May 18, 2021: A new set of records were released indicating that Dinkins had been released from a Davenport Prison on parole about 4 months before he allegedly killed Breasia.

May 19, 2021: An AP report discovers that just days before Breasia's death, Dinkins had accepted a sentencing deal for drug charges in Illinois and was left free on bond to wait for the plea hearing.

June 16, 2021: Henry Dinkins pleads not guilty to his first-degree murder and kidnapping charges.

July 2, 2021: In a court appearance, Dinkins chooses to waive his right to a speedy trial, pushing the judgment to a new date in February 2022.

Jan. 25, 2022: A Scott County judge grants a motion to move Henry Dinkins' trial date to May 9.

March 11, 2022: A Scott County judge denies Dinkins' second request for a new lawyer. The trial date remains set for May 9 at the Scott County Courthouse.

March 31, 2022: Dinkins' request to move the trial to a different county is approved by Judge Latham. As of this date, the new location is to be determined.

April 4, 2022: An Iowa judge approved an application to change Dinkins' lawyers following a "breakdown of the attorney-client relationship."

Dinkins' new lawyers are Chad Frese and Jennifer Frese. The Freses previously represented Cristhian Bahena Rivera, the man found guilty in May 2021 for the murder of Mollie Tibbets.

April 8, 2022: The trial for Henry Dinkins was rescheduled for October, according to Iowa court documents.

The records show Dinkins' new trial will begin on Oct. 17 at 9 a.m. The location was not determined yet; a hearing was scheduled for April 28 to name where the trial will take place.

April 11, 2022: Court filings indicate the court is considering moving Dinkins' trial to Linn County. One document says Dinkins consented to move the trial to Linn County, which is a little more than an hour away from Scott County. 

Scott County Sheriff Tim Lane told News 8 that Dinkins is being held at the Marshall County Jail to be closer to his new defense team.

April 20, 2022: The Iowa Supreme Court approves the venue change request for Dinkins' trial. It will be moved to Linn County.

Before You Leave, Check This Out