Elijah Lewis’ mother, from New Hampshire, was sentenced to more than 50 years to life in prison after admitting to torturing and starving the 5-year-old boy before burying him in a Massachusetts park.
Danielle Dauphinais was initially scheduled for a stand trial, but this month, she entered a plea of guilty to second-degree murder and other charges related to Elijah Lewis’s murder, following an agreement with the prosecution. She sobbed in court as the judge informed her she knew precisely what she was doing: “killing him hour by hour, day by day, and month by month.”
Joseph Stapf, Dauphinais‘ boyfriend, pleaded guilty to manslaughter, second-degree assault, manipulating physical evidence, and witness tampering in 2022 in connection with the boy’s death. The court sentenced him to 22-45 years in jail.
Hostile text messages
Elijah’s autopsy revealed he had facial and scalp injuries, acute fentanyl intoxication, malnutrition, and pressure sores. Prosecutors read a sequence of letters between Stapf and Dauphinais in which they showed hate toward Elijah and dissatisfaction when he did not perform as they desired…