Horrific Discovery After Man Asks Police for Cigarette In Exchange for Info on 'Incident' with Wife

Dennis Hinnant Jr. faces up to 40 years in prison for murder after showing up to the police station with a baby and giving authorities a tip which led them to a grisly crime scene.

Authorities in Maryland were led to a horrific scene after a man showed up to the police station requesting a cigarette in exchange for information about an "incident" that went down between him and his wife.

Last week, Dennis Hinnant Jr., 30, of Silver Spring, was found guilty of second-degree murder for the death of his wife, 28-year-old Taresha Pendarvis. He faces up to 40 years in prison.

Per the State's Attorney's Office , Hinnant showed up at the Rockville City police station with a baby in hand on February 1, 2023, saying he wanted to turn himself in.

Hinnant reportedly told authorities he would talk if they gave him a cigarette, telling cops, "I know y'all not lettin' me leave out here," according to charging documents via Law&Crime . He allegedly alluded to "an incident," saying he'd only give more information after he had a chance to smoke.

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"Hinnant insisted he wanted to smoke a cigarette but he was advised that no one currently working had a cigarette," reads the doc. "Hinnant stated if he was provided a cigarette, he would give a location of the incident. At this point, Hinnant was not in police custody and [was] advised he was free to leave at any time."

He didn't leave, however, and instead told officers "that the needed to talk to a homicide detective about something that happened hours prior in Silver Spring," per the State Attorney. Hinnant then gave officers his wife's address, before a welfare check there led to a horrific discovery.

"They found [Pendarvis] deceased in the bathtub. She had been stabbed multiple times and strangled with a belt," said the State Attorney. "When interviewed, he said they had been arguing about their marriage before the murder occurred. Pendarvis' baby was not physically harmed and was removed from Hinnant's custody upon his arrest."

According to the charging docs, Hinnant later told police he and his wife had been fighting about a "potential divorce" when things "boiled over" and she began throwing away his belongings.  "Hinnant then stated that it went south, and he feels like they both blacked out. Hinnant also stated that he f—– up," said authorities.

"We remain dedicated to aggressively prosecuting domestic violence in any form. The defendant was appropriately found guilty of murder, and we will be seeking the maximum penalty under the law," State's Attorney John McCarthy said in a statement.

Hinnant will be sentenced on July 18, 2024.

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