LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A Louisville man will spend decades behind bars after being convicted of murder and sexual misconduct in the fatal shooting of a 15-year-old girl in early 2024.
Adrian King pleaded guilty Thursday, July 2, to the murder of Dovia Pernell outside an apartment on Patton Court, just off South 13th Street, in Louisville's Algonquin neighborhood around 10:45 a.m. Jan. 29, 2024.
Additionally, King pleaded guilty to three counts of promoting a sexual performance by a minor, seven counts of distribution of matter portraying a sexual performance of a minor and three counts of sexual misconduct.Â
According to Commonwealth's Attorney Gerina D. Whethers, King was given the recommended sentence of 30 years after admitting to engaging in sexual acts with a minor, recording the activity and distributing the video, then shooting the victim in the back of the head.Â
King was arrested in March 2024. According to court records, surveillance footage showed King "walking toward where the victim was residing with a handgun." He was then seen walking with the victim toward his residence. A short time later, King was seen without the victim, and police were called.
Investigators said King threatened to kill Pernell on his social media account, which also "had three videos of the victim and defendant engaged in sexual acts." Police said King distributed the video seven times.Â
"This defendant admitted to some of the most heinous crimes imaginable," Whethers said Tuesday in a news release. "Thanks to the diligence and efforts of our Special Victims Unit team members, justice for the innocent victim in this case has now been accomplished."
According to Whethers' office, King was sentenced to 30 years on the murder charge, 20 years for each charge of promoting a sexual performance by a minor, five years on each count of distribution of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor and 12 months on each count of sexual misconduct. All counts will run concurrently for a total of 30 years.
King is not eligible for probation or shock probation. He will have to serve a minimum of 85% of his sentence before being eligible for parole. He must also complete the Sex Offender Treatment Program, have five years of post-incarceration supervision and a lifetime sex offender registration. His charges are also not eligible for expungement.
Dovia Pernell, 15, was shot and killed on Jan. 31, 2024 on Patton Court in Louisville, Ky. She was a runaway from a Lexington foster care home. (Image courtesy of the Pernell family)Â
Pernell was a runaway from the Kentucky foster care system. According to the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, she was reported missing from her foster home in Lexington on Jan. 20, 2024 — nine days before her death and less than a few weeks after her 15th birthday.Â
Pernell was in 11 foster homes before ending up with her parents, the Pernells, who adopted her when she was 5 years old. Her parents said they temporarily placed her under the state's custody to get her better mental health treatment for "significant trauma" and "behavior issues."Â
The family's attorney said at the time they weren't notified that their daughter was missing until she had been gone for "probably a week." With no ties to Louisville, the family didn't know how she ended up in the city.
"We are devastated by the loss of our daughter but to learn that she lost her life at the hands of someone she may have believed cared about her makes it all the more painful," the Pernells said in a statement following King's arrest. "Our family is relieved King has now been arrested so he can hopefully be prevented from victimizing any other children and we are hopeful that justice will be done for Dovia. In our minds, King is a coward and we look forward to him being prosecuted to the full extent of the law for his horrendous actions and callous disregard for our daughter's young life."
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