Kentucky man sentenced for murder of girlfriend's daughter

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Convicted murderer attacks his attorney in courtroom before learning his fate

Joseph Zieler, who was convicted in two 1990 murders in Florida, threw an elbow at his attorney during a hearing to request a re-trial. (WFXT)

A man in Kentucky was sentenced to 50 years in prison for the murder of his girlfriend's daughter.

Dakota Hill pleaded guilty in late May to the murder of Serenity McKinney, who was 4-years-old at the time of her death. She was reported missing in February 2022 by her maternal grandfather after several relatives hadn't seen the girl since Dec. 24, 2020, according to Fox affiliate WDRB. 

McKinney was found dead in February 2022 inside a suitcase placed in a wooded area near Jefferson and Bullitt counties. Hill was charged with murder, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with physical evidence.

He pleaded guilty in late May.

MISSING KENTUCKY GIRL SERENITY MCKINNEY'S BODY FOUND; MOTHER, BOYFRIEND CHARGED WITH MURDER

Mother of missing 4-year-old Kentucky girl and her boyfriend charged with murder (Shelby County Detention Center )

According to the report, Hill was sentenced to 50 years in prison and under Kentucky law will come up for parole after spending 20 years in state custody, but Bullitt County Commonwealth's Attorney Bailey Taylor said that the chances of him being granted parole are "slim and none."

"I'm sorry for the way my actions have affected the lives of your family," Hill said in a statement inside court on Thursday. "And I understand no amount of time will bring Serenity back but I hope that it will help you heal."

"I have to learn to forgive myself on the long road ahead, but I also ask for your forgiveness as well, because, although some day I may be free again, I know that only forgiveness would truly set me free. I'm so sorry for the loss that I have caused to your family and I pray for you all in your time of grief and suffering," Hill said.

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Catherine McKinney and Dakota Hill (Shelby County Detention Center )

After Hill was sentenced, McKinney's paternal grandmother, Melody Roller, said that the 4-year-old "deserved to live her life."

"How do you put justice on a 4-year-old little girl that was murdered the way that she was? When I think about justice and my granddaughter, you just can't put them together. It just doesn't come together because she deserved more," Roller said.

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Serenity Ann McKinney’s official cause of death has not been revealed. (Shelby County Sheriff's Office)

Catherine McKinney, the girl's mother, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for her involvement in the incident. She pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter but was initially charged with murder.