Killer mom sobs and quivers as she's sentenced for starving son, 5, to death

A New Hampshire female has been sentenced to 50 years to life successful situation complete nan decease of her five-year-old son, who was beaten, starved, exposed to drugs, and weighing conscionable 19 pounds erstwhile his assemblage was buried successful a parkland successful 2021. 

Danielle Dauphinais, 38, sobbed successful nan courtroom while her little articulator quivered arsenic she tried to publication done a prepared connection earlier she was jailed connected Friday, apt for nan remainder of her life. 

She had been facing a proceedings but aft reaching an statement pinch prosecutors past period pleaded blameworthy to second-degree murder and different charges successful nan decease of Elijah Lewis, who was buried successful a Massachusetts park.

Dauphinais' boyfriend, Joseph Stapf, pleaded blameworthy to manslaughter, second-degree assault, falsifying beingness grounds and witnesser tampering successful 2022 successful relationship pinch nan boy's death. He was sentenced to 22 to 45 years successful prison. 

Elijah's autopsy showed he suffered facial and scalp injuries, acute fentanyl intoxication, malnourishment and unit ulcers. 

Dauphinais addressed nan tribunal during Friday's proceeding arsenic she attempted to explicate her behaviour by telling nan judge she had besides been abused arsenic a child, saying it severely impacted her life.

'Even so, Elijah ne'er deserved immoderate of nan abuse. Parents are expected to return attraction of their child. I wish that I could person gone back, could person done amended and return it each back. I didn't cognize really to make amended decisions astatine nan time,' Dauphinais said.

Towards nan extremity of nan statement, Dauphinais became overwhelmed and was incapable to proceed leaving her lawyer to publication retired her prepared statement. 

Prosecutors described nan torture that Elijah was forced to strengthen complete nan people of galore months. 

They described really Dauphinais many times assaulted Elijah, near him isolated him successful a room, deprived him of food, clothing and basal care.

Prosecutors besides publication a bid of texts betwixt Stapf and Dauphinais that expressed hostility toward Elijah and vexation if he didn't behave according to their wishes.

'He said he wants nutrient and he wants maine to extremity starving him because it's not nice,' 1 said. 

Another connection read: 'I'm gonna termination him and I mean it,' while different said, 'I deed him pinch nan ablution rod that's each I did.'

Some of nan texts from Stapf to Dauphinais told her to springiness Elijah much nutrient to 'fatten him up.'

The judge besides referenced different matter connection successful nan case, including 1 that referred to Elijah arsenic a 'maggot.'

'This is not a maggot. It's a beautiful small boy,' Judge Temple said. 'Your words that I person seen are damning successful this case.' 

As he passed nan sentence, nan judge said Dauphinais 'deserves important and terrible incarceration.'

'We person to region you from nine and show nine that justness will beryllium done,' Temple said. 'I person to nonstop you and nan organization a very clear message.'

Elijah was calved successful Arizona successful 2016 and his parents divided a twelvemonth later. Dauphinais moved to New Hampshire. 

In May 2020, his begetter Timothy Lewis brought Elijah to unrecorded pinch Dauphinais, Stapf, and nan two-year-old girl she had pinch Stapf.

They stayed successful nan basement of a location wherever Stapf's mother besides lived.

However, by that fall, Lewis became concerned that Elijah wasn't getting due aesculapian attraction and contacted nan authorities Division for Children, Youth and Families. 

In a wrongful decease suit revenge this past May against Dauphinais, Stapf, Stapf's mother, and nan kid services agency, Lewis described Elijah arsenic having developmental challenges and a difficult behaviour shape that had worsened successful New Hampshire.

A lawyer for nan section has asked for nan suit to beryllium dismissed, saying nan authorities agency did not person custody of Elijah.

A sojourn to nan expert successful November 2020 showed that Elijah weighed 32 pounds and had bruises connected his face, oculus and arm, prosecutors said. 

Dauphinais later told nan agency that her boy was sent to California to unrecorded pinch Dauphinais' sister, a custody statement nan begetter had agreed to, but Dauphinais didn't travel through, prosecutors said.

By October 2021, Dauphinais had fixed commencement to a boy astatine home, prosecutors said. Stapf brought nan babe to a infirmary pinch nan intent to time off him there. 

The infirmary recovered grounds of narcotics successful nan babe and contacted nan kid services agency, which opened an investigation. The agency could find nary signs of Elijah.

Dauphinais said her boy was pinch her sister, and past her brother. 

Both relatives told investigators that Dauphinais had contacted them and asked them to dishonesty astir Elijah's whereabouts.

Prosecutors judge Elijah died successful September 2021 and nan mates put his assemblage successful a instrumentality and brought him to nan Massachusetts park, wherever Stapf dug a spread and buried him, prosecutors said.

When Elijah was still missing, Stapf and Dauphinais were arrested successful New York. 

Days aft their arrest, Elijah's remains were found successful Ames Nowell State Park successful Abington, Massachusetts.

A expert would person testified astatine proceedings that Elijah suffered 'torture, repeated beingness assaults, ongoing psychological maltreatment, including affectional rejection, denigration, isolation, and denial of care,' charismatic Bethany Durand said. 

Prosecutors said that erstwhile Elijah was found, he was 3 feet gangly and weighed 19 pounds, while an mean five-year-old boy would beryllium astir 3.6 feet gangly and person to 40 pounds.

Dauphinais was indicted successful 2022 connected 1 count of first-degree execution alleging that she purposely caused her son's death, 1 count of second-degree execution alleging she acted recklessly successful causing his death, and 3 counts of witnesser tampering.