LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- More than one year after a little girl's body was found in a wooded area near southern Jefferson County, a judge sentenced the child's mother to more than a decade in prison.

On Wednesday morning in a Bullitt County courtroom, Judge Rodney Burress sentenced Catherine "Abby" McKinney to 12 years in prison for her involvement in the death of her 4-year-old daughter, Serenity McKinney. 

Serenity McKinney

Pictured: Serenity McKinney (family photo)

Catherine McKinney had been charged with murder but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter in a plea agreement just weeks ago on April 14.

Because of the plea agreement, McKinney could be called to testify when her boyfriend, Dakota Hill, is expected to go to trial in June. Hill is facing a murder charge in relation to Serenity's death and is currently in the Bullitt County jail. He's the only person charged in the investigation aside from McKinney. 

McKinney's attorney, Kami Granade, has argued in court that Hill abused McKinney. 

"I want to make it clear that I am in no way diminishing what happened to Serenity. Not at all," Granade said in the courtroom Wednesday. "But I do want this court to know what Abby and her daughter went through and the abuse that they both suffered." 

Bullitt County Commonwealth's Attorney Bailey Taylor said he's pleased the judge agreed to the commonwealth's recommendation of a 12-year sentence for McKinney. 

"... because we thought that this plea was necessary in order to proceed against Dakota Hill," Taylor said.

In court Wednesday, Taylor said it took eight months to come to an agreement in McKinney's case. 

"In this case, it was a question of meeting with the family, discussing how they felt and how they wished to proceed as well as discussing it with the investigating detective from the Kentucky State Police," Taylor told reporters after the sentencing. "The conversations began in August and continued up until approximately a week before the plea was entered."

Burress ordered McKinney to serve 12 years for manslaughter, five years for abuse of a corpse and five years for tampering with physical evidence. All sentences will be served concurrently, meaning the total sentence is 12 years. She must serve at least 85%.

Granade said with the time McKinney has already served, the earliest she could be released is 2032. At that time, McKinney would be in her early 30s.

In the courtroom, McKinney did not share any statements herself but Granade said, "To say that Abby is regretful and remorseful and repentant would be an understatement. She is devastated."

Catherine McKinney in Bullitt County court for sentencing hearing

Catherine McKinney sits in a Bullitt County courtroom on April 26, 2023 for her sentencing hearing as her daughter's father and paternal grandmother give impact statements on how the loss of Serenity has impacted their family. 

Serenity's father and paternal grandmother gave impact statements during Wednesday's sentencing, as McKinney stood by in an orange jumpsuit. She has been in the Bullitt County Jail since March 2022, after Serenity's body was found. 

"Abby, what you allowed to happen has destroyed us. You know what Serenity meant to us. She was our everything," said Melody Roller, Serenity's paternal grandmother. "Our light in darkness. Our warmth in the cold. Her arms -- those little arms -- gave the greatest hugs. Her smile that was so contagious."

Roller told WDRB News she felt angry and hurt while addressing McKinney. This was the first time she'd spoken to McKinney since the arrest. 

"Just so you know. I haven't forgiven myself for trusting you. (Serenity) was the most precious gift from God. So, how can I forgive you? I do hope one day I can forgive you, but it's not today," said Roller.

She said the ordeal has been a nightmare for her family and questioned why McKinney didn't call someone for help, saying she would have dropped "everything" for her granddaughter. 

"We will never understand why you allowed this to happen when you had so many opportunities to leave Serenity with someone or call one of us," Roller said. 

Roller's son, DJ Roller, who is Serenity's father, also spoke at the sentencing. 

"I thought she was safe with you and I was too busy keeping her safe from everything else that I wasn't looking at the one place she needed to be safe at most which was at home," he said, looking at McKinney.

In February of 2022, Serenity's maternal grandfather reported the little girl missing in Shelby County after several loved ones hadn't seen her since Dec. 24, 2020. Just a few weeks after reporting her missing, detectives found Serenity's body in a suitcase in a wooded area near the line between Jefferson and Bullitt counties.

In October of 2022, Bullitt County Coroner David Billings released a copy of the medical examiner's report related to Serenity's death. The report listed the manner of death as a homicide, but said the cause of death was "undetermined."

Before ordering the sentence, Judge Burress said what happened to Serenity was "nothing short of horrific."

Burress said 12 years is an "insufficient sentence for what happened to this little girl. But that's not the criteria by which I have to judge your guilty plea."

He asked McKinney: "Do you understand that Dakota Hill has not gone to trial and he may or may not be found guilty?" 

"Yes, your honor," replied McKinney. 

"Your sentence is based upon your conduct. Do you understand that?" Burress asked. 

"Yes," said McKinney.

It's not yet known where McKinney will serve her prison sentence. Hill's trial is set for January. 

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