Dovia Pernell was a 15-year-old female from Union, Kentucky, who loved music, dancing, and cooking. Her mother described her as energetic, loving, and empathetic, a creative deep thinker who dreamed of becoming the next Cardi B. Dovia’s early life was marked by instability; she had lived in 11 different foster homes before being adopted at age five. The trauma she endured left her with PTSD and significant mental health struggles.
Her adoptive parents, after years of providing therapy and treatment, made the difficult decision to temporarily place her in the state’s custody to find a residential facility that could offer her more specialized care.
In December 2023, the state placed Dovia in a temporary foster home in Lexington while searching for an appropriate facility. On January 20, 2024, she ran away from the home and was reported missing. Her family, who had celebrated her birthday just weeks before, had no idea where she had gone or that she had any connections to Louisville. Nine days later, on the morning of January 29, her life came to a violent end. Police responded to a call around 10:45 a.m. and found Dovia outside an apartment building on Patton Court in Louisville’s Algonquin neighborhood. She had been shot and killed, dying at the scene.
The Louisville Metro Police Department’s investigation soon focused on 20-year-old Adrian King. According to court documents, King and Dovia were in a relationship, and he had posted threats on social media saying he was going to kill her. Surveillance footage from the day of the murder provided a grim timeline of events. The video showed King walking with a handgun toward where Dovia was staying, then walking with her back to his own residence. A short time later, he was seen on camera walking away from the area alone, just before the 911 call was made.
In early March 2024, police arrested Adrian King. He was charged with murder as well as several sex-related crimes after investigators discovered he was in possession of explicit videos of himself and the underage Dovia, which he had allegedly distributed. The additional charges included sexual misconduct, promoting a minor under 16 in a sex performance, and distribution of matter portraying a sexual performance of a minor.
Ultimately, Adrian King, then 22, pleaded guilty to murder and the related sex crimes. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison. In a statement, Commonwealth’s Attorney Gerina D. Whethers said, “This defendant admitted to some of the most heinous crimes imaginable. 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.”
