A New Hampshire girl was sentenced Friday to 53 years to life in jail within the demise of her 5-year-old son, who was crushed, starved and uncovered to medicine earlier than his 19-pound physique was discovered buried in a Massachusetts park in 2021.
“I’m so sorry Elijah that I failed you as your mom,” Danielle Dauphinais stated in courtroom, studying a letter that recounted her life as an abused and deserted baby. She broke down, crying, and one among her attorneys completed studying it.
Dauphinais, 38, was dealing with a trial in Nashua however pleaded responsible final month to second-degree homicide and different costs within the demise of her son Elijah Lewis in an settlement with prosecutors.
Prosecutors had requested for a 55-year sentence. The protection requested for 35 years, the minimal time period. Dauphinais additionally acquired three to seven extra years on lesser offenses.
Elijah’s post-mortem confirmed he suffered facial and scalp accidents, acute fentanyl intoxication, malnourishment and strain ulcers.
Prosecutors stated Elijah was tortured and uncared for.
He was confined for lengthy durations of time in a rest room tub, usually bare, and monitored by way of video.
Ultimately, he couldn’t stand, they stated, exhibiting pictures of him over a 16-month interval getting progressively thinner. One in every of his eyes was shut within the final picture.
Dauphinais was divorced from Elijah’s father, who had been caring for the boy in Arizona. He introduced Elijah to her in New Hampshire in Could 2020.
Her attorneys stated the kid had “extreme psychiatric points” and neither dad or mum obtained him an analysis.
However Decide Charles Temple stated that expletive-ridden, hateful texts she despatched her boyfriend about her son and her actions have been damning.
“You knew precisely what you have been doing to Elijah. You have been killing him, hour by hour, day-to-day, month by month,” he stated.
Dauphinais’ boyfriend, Joseph Stapf, pleaded responsible to manslaughter, second-degree assault, falsifying bodily proof and witness tampering in 2022 in reference to the boy’s demise.
He was sentenced to 22 to 45 years in jail.
Prosecutors learn a collection of texts between Stapf and Dauphinais that expressed hostility towards Elijah and frustration if he didn’t behave based on their needs.
“He stated he desires meals and he desires me to cease ravenous him as a result of it’s not good,” one stated. One other message learn, “I’m gonna kill him and I imply it,” and one other stated, “I hit him with the bathe rod that’s all I did.”
Stapf had texted Dauphinais to present Elijah extra meals to “fatten him up.”
Protection lawyer Benjamin Faulkner stated Dauphinais’ texts have been despatched out of desperation as a result of Elijah confirmed aggressive conduct that she was unable to handle whereas as she was caring for one other baby.
She additionally was pregnant and abusing fentanyl and heroin.
Dauphinais stated her ex-husband wouldn’t present his insurance coverage data for her to hunt assist.
Prosecutors stated she shifted blame and duty to the daddy and others.
“She did nothing to assist Elijah,” prosecutor Bethany Durand stated.
Elijah lived with Dauphinais, Stapf, and the 2-year-old daughter she had with Stapf within the basement of a house the place Stapf’s mom additionally lived.
By that fall, Elijah’s father, Timothy Lewis, grew to become involved that Elijah wasn’t getting correct medical care and contacted the state Division for Kids, Youth and Households.
Elijah had developmental challenges and a tough conduct sample that worsened in New Hampshire, Lewis stated in a wrongful demise lawsuit filed earlier this yr in opposition to Dauphinais, Stapf, Stapf’s mom, and the kid providers company.
Faulkner stated Lewis advised the kid providers company that he couldn’t take Elijah again as a result of he was involved for the security of different youngsters dwelling in his house. The strain was placed on Dauphinais, “who didn’t have the flexibility to take care of it,” Faulkner stated.
A separate choose on Friday granted the state company a partial dismissal within the case.
A lawyer for Stapf’s mom denied allegations in a courtroom submitting. No attorneys are listed for Stapf and Dauphinais within the lawsuit.
Elijah weighed 32 kilos and had bruises on his face, eye and arm at a November 2020 physician go to, prosecutors stated.
Dauphinais later advised the company that her son was despatched to California to stay with Dauphinais’ sister, a custody association the daddy had agreed to, however Dauphinais didn’t observe via, prosecutors stated.
By October 2021, Dauphinais had given beginning to a boy at house, prosecutors stated. Stapf introduced the toddler to a hospital with the intent to depart him there.
The hospital discovered proof of medicine within the child and contacted the kid providers company, which opened an investigation.
The company may discover no indicators of Elijah.
Dauphinais stated her son was together with her sister, after which a person she described as her brother however turned out to be a pal.
Each the sister and pal advised investigators that Dauphinais had contacted them and requested them to lie about Elijah’s whereabouts.
Prosecutors consider Elijah died in September 2021 and the couple put his physique in a container and introduced him to the Massachusetts park, the place Stapf dug a gap and buried him, prosecutors stated.
When Elijah was nonetheless lacking, Stapf and Dauphinais have been arrested in New York. Days after their arrest, Elijah’s stays have been discovered.
Prosecutors stated that when Elijah was discovered, he was 3 toes tall and weighed 19 kilos, whereas a median 5-year-old boy can be about 3.6 toes tall and nearer to 40 kilos.
Lewis addressed the courtroom by way of cellphone on Friday, saying he may by no means forgive Dauphinais for her actions and wished she can be haunted by the demise of their son. Faulkner stated she is.