A New Hampshire mother accused of killing her 5-year-old son pleaded guilty in his death on Thursday morning.
Danielle Dauphinais, 38, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and two counts of witness tampering in the death of her 5-year-old son Elijah Lewis, according to a plea agreement filed Monday. She faces up to 55 years in prison, with sentencing slated for next month.
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"I’m just hoping that she gets the absolute maximum. That’s what Elijah deserves," Elijah's aunt, MJ Morrison, said outside of court.
The child, who'd gone to live with Dauphinais and her husband from Arizona in 2020, was discovered missing and found dead in October 2021 in a Massachusetts park. An autopsy showed he suffered facial and scalp injuries, acute fentanyl intoxication, malnourishment and pressure ulcers, and prosecutors said the young boy was tortured before he died.
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In court, a series text messages were read, in which the defendant talked about her hatred for her son.
"Elijah, I’m gonna kill him and I mean it," she said.
One of the last messages read in court was written after Elijah died: "Seriously, like, I can breathe and be free. I was a prisoner for so long baby. It was hell."
Prosecutors provided new details on the lengths they say Dauphinais went through to lie to the Division of Youth and Family Services workers about the abuse. Prosecutors also said she called and texted her own brother and sister to get them to lie about having Elijah in their care.
Dauphinais' boyfriend, Joseph Stapf, pleaded guilty to manslaughter, second-degree assault, falsifying physical evidence and witness tampering in 2022 in connection with the boy's death. He was sentenced to 22 to 45 years in prison.
Prosecutors said Elijah was starved, neglected and physically abused while in their care, describing the situation as child torture. During Stapf's sentencing, they read a series of texts between Stapf and Dauphinais that expressed hostility toward Elijah.
When Elijah died and child welfare workers started to investigate his disappearance, the couple put his body in a container and brought him to Ames Nowell State Park in Abington, Massachusetts, where Stapf dug a hole and buried him, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors said that when Elijah was found, he was 3 feet tall and weighed 19 pounds, while an average 5-year-old boy would be about 3.6 feet tall and closer to 40 pounds.
When Elijah was still missing, Stapf and Dauphinais were arrested in New York on charges of witness tampering and child endangerment. Days after their arrest, Elijah’s remains were found.
Dauphinais was indicted in 2022 on one count of first-degree murder alleging that she purposely caused her son’s death, one count of second-degree murder alleging she acted recklessly in causing his death, and three counts of witness tampering.
She had initially pleaded not guilty before opting to change her plea. She could face nearly six decades in prison, 55 years for the second-degree murder charge and up to seven years for witness tampering. She will return to court for a sentencing hearing.
