Dakota Lee King was sentenced to nine years in prison on Monday, ending a nearly two-year attempt by the court to keep him out of prison.
King has been held in the Monroe County jail since 2019 for involvement in a case in which his girlfriend’s 2-year-old child died. He allegedly told police he got angry with the child after it spit up on him.
READ MORE: Plea deal in Dakota King case hits a snag after 'miscommunication'
After speaking with police, King was charged with murder, two counts of neglect of a dependent, and battery.
Prosecutors initially pursued a life sentence for King, but the two parties entered a plea deal in April 2021 that allowed King to plead guilty to one of the neglect charges in exchange for home detention.
Circuit Court Judge Valeri Haughton released King from the Monroe County Jail three times so he could try to find a place to live. But King was unable to secure housing.
In her sentencing, Haughton credited King with 129 days served and said he could appeal for parole after two years. Haughton recommended a minimum-security prison for King based on his lack of history of prior criminal behavior.
