Boyfriend of Serenity McKinney’s mother to enter plea deal in 4-year-old’s death

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - One of the suspects in the death of 4-year-old Serenity McKinney is set to enter a plea deal, according to the Bullitt County Commonwealth’s Attorney.

Dakota Hill, the boyfriend of Catherine “Abby” McKinney, was charged with murder in Feb. 2022 for Serenity’s death. McKinney, Serenity’s mother, was also charged in the case.

Hill’s plea is set to be entered on May 31 in Bullitt Circuit Court, the commonwealth’s attorney confirmed, but sentencing details could not be discussed until the plea is entered.

Serenity was reported missing by her grandparents in Jan. 2022 after last seeing her in Dec. 2020.

One month after being reported missing, Serenity’s body was found in a wooded area near the Jefferson-Bullitt County line.

McKinney testified against Hill when taking a plea deal in April in order to get her charges dropped from murder to manslaughter.

She was sentenced to 12 years for manslaughter, abuse of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence.

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