By Jessica Mathews & Jon King / news@whmi.com


A Detroit man has been sentenced in connection with the death of a Livingston County woman reported missing last November who died of an accidental drug overdose.

48-year-old Dowan Knighten was sentenced Tuesday in Wayne County Circuit Court. The body of 29-year-old Kayla Pierce was discovered behind his Detroit house in February. The Handy Township resident was reported missing on November 24th, 2020.

Knighten was ordered to spend one year in the Wayne County Jail with credit for 43 days served. He must also serve three years of probation and undergo drug treatment. Knighten earlier pleaded guilty to one count of mutilation of a dead body in exchange for two felony counts of concealing the death of an individual and tampering with evidence being dismissed, along with being a habitual offender.

MLive.com reports that he apologized in court for concealing Pierce’s death, saying he panicked and made the wrong decision. Knighten said his thoughts and prayers go out to the Pierce family.

In court, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Leslie Cooper stated the pair had been doing drugs for about an hour and Pierce died in the front yard but was later moved to the back yard. Knighten maintained he was not responsible for the fentanyl that was injected into Pierce; stating he only used cocaine and was in another room when she overdosed, which he blamed on a unidentified woman named Jessica. He also indicated the death occurred in a bedroom inside the house, and not outside.

An autopsy report showed that Pierce died of fentanyl and methamphetamine toxicity.

Pierce’s mother Belinda read aloud her victim impact statement in court and said their lives have been shattered. She earlier told WHMI that Knighten should have faced tougher charges, such as distributing drugs causing death, which is punishable by life in prison.

Knighten remains free on bond and was ordered to turn himself in to the Wayne County Jail by 9am Thursday.