Dennis Hinnant Jr. entered a Maryland police station a year ago, clutching his toddler, telling the officers he knew about a terrible incident at his home and promising to talk if they gave him a cigarette.
“I know y’all are not lettin’ me leave out here,” he added before making his demand, according to criminal documents.
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This Thursday, a jury convicted Hinnant, 29, of second-degree murder in the death of his wife, Taresha Pendarvis, 28. The guy from Silver Spring, Maryland, faces up to 40 years in jail when he is sentenced on July 18, the Maryland State’s Attorney’s Office revealed last Friday.
John McCarthy, the Maryland State’s Attorney, declared that the harshest punishment was appropriate.
“We remain dedicated to aggressively prosecuting domestic violence in any form,” McCarthy stated.
Hinnant, obviously “distraught,” stepped into the Rockville City police station with his child on February 1, 2023, according to a statement of charges acquired by Law & Crime. He immediately began speaking with authorities in the lobby, and despite answering preliminary inquiries about “an incident” that had brought him in on his own initiative, police did not immediately arrest him.
However, during an interview with one officer, authorities stated that Hinnant insisted on providing information if given the opportunity to light a cigarette.
“Hinnant persisted in smoking a cigarette, but he was told that no one at work had one. Hinnant indicated that if he was given a cigarette, he would reveal the location of the incident. Hinnant was not in police custody at this point, and he was told he might leave at any time, according to the accusations.
That changed quickly. Police claimed that they sent Hinnant to Lanier Drive in Silver Spring to check on the occupants’ well-being as soon as he began providing details.
There, detectives discovered Pendarvis’s body. Pendarvis lay in the bathtub, strangled with a belt. She’d also been stabbed several times.
Hinnant was quickly apprehended. While in detention, he admitted to authorities that he and Pendarvis were married and had been fighting “over a potential divorce.” He said the argument had “boiled over.”
“At some point, Pendarvis discarded Hinnant’s medicine and clothing. Hinnant later reported that it went south, and he believes they both blacked out. Hinnant also admitted to f—ing up, according to the statement of charges.
The state’s attorney’s office immediately removed the youngster from Hinnant’s custody and reported no harm.
Hinnant’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday. He is still in detention, awaiting sentencing.
A member of the Pendarvis family did not immediately return a request for comment.
