Dakota King has found a place to live.
King has been held in the Monroe County Jail for the last two years since he allegedly admitted to killing his girlfriend’s 2-month-old baby after the child threw up on him.
During a Thursday morning hearing, public defender Phyllis Emerick said she had received a verbal agreement from Katie Norris of Hotels for Homeless that they would accept King. This would allow King to finish his sentence in accordance with the plea agreement he entered earlier this year.
“We’re where we need to be,” Emerick said.
King was initially charged with murder, two counts of neglect of a dependent and battery after he was arrested in 2019. At the time, prosecutors said they were pursuing a life sentence.
He pleaded guilty to one of the neglect charges in April as part of a plea deal that would allow him to serve a nine-year sentence under home detention. He didn’t have a place of residence in Monroe County, though, so King was released from the jail three times to allow him to try to find a place to live. Attorneys for the prosecution and defense have declined to comment on the deal as the case is ongoing.
Emerick said it was her expectation that King would be able to pay for his own housing.
If the agreement is finalized, he'll have a sentencing hearing next Friday at 10 a.m.
