POWHATAN COUNTY, Va. -- A Dinwiddie County man has been found guilty of killing his teenage cousin in 2018.
A jury found Anton Coleman guilty Thursday of second-degree murder in 17-year-old Ke'Asia Adkins' death.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 8.
Adkins was last seen at her grandmother's house in Dinwiddie County on the morning of June 25, 2018. Four days later, her body would be found in the woods behind her grandmother's house. She was found with a bag around her head and her cause of death was ruled asphyxiation.
Both Adkins and Coleman, who are first cousins, were staying at the home.
Coleman would eventually be indicted on first-degree murder charges. Those would be withdrawn and he was charged with second-degree murder.
This was the third trial for Coleman after the first two attempts ended in mistrials.
The first trial, held in Dinwiddie County, was declared a mistrial after the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict in January 2020. A second mistrial was declared in February 2023, when the case was retried in Buckingham County Circuit Court.
While this case is being held in Powhatan Circuit Court, it is still being tried by the Dinwiddie County Commonwealth's Attorney's Office (DCAO).
One difference is former Commonwealth's Attorney Ann Baskervill is no longer involved as she resigned in June 2023. The case is being tried by Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Jason Moore, who joined the DCAO in June 2023, and Jonathan Bourlier, who was appointed to serve the remainder of Baskervill's term (and is a candidate in November's election for the office).
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