Honk News (Indianapolis, IN) –An Indiana woman, aged 49, has been sentenced to several years in prison for the death of her 10-year-old foster son, whom she suffocated by sitting on him after he requested a neighbor to call 911 due to abuse.
On Friday, Senior Judge Michael Bergerson sentenced Jennifer Lee Wilson to the maximum of six years in a state correctional facility for her involvement in the death of Dakota Stevens.
Bergerson has suspended one year of the sentence, permitting Wilson to serve the last year on probation, according to The Times of Northwest Indiana.
In October, Wilson officially admitted guilt to a charge of reckless homicide related to Dakota’s tragic passing.
Deputies from the Porter County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call about an unresponsive 10-year-old at a home in the 200 block of Falcon Way in Valparaiso on April 25, 2024, at approximately 3:37 p.m. This location is around 150 miles northwest of Indianapolis.
First responders discovered a boy, later named Dakota, lying on the ground close to the driveway of the home. A boy was given CPR after deputies reported he was “not conscious, not breathing, and had no pulse.” First responders observed visible bruising on the victim’s lower neck and chest.
Deputies performed CPR until emergency medical personnel arrived and transported Dakota to a hospital, where he passed away two days later. An autopsy revealed that the death was ruled a homicide, caused by significant brain swelling and prolonged oxygen deprivation. He experienced damage to his organs along with bleeding in the liver and lungs.
Police arrived at the scene and spoke with Wilson, who appeared to be very upset.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Wilson reported that Dakota had been misbehaving throughout the day, even refusing to complete his chores and leaving the house at one point. Wilson reported seeing him conversing with another woman just a few blocks away. The woman informed Wilson that Dakota had just asked her to contact the police.
Wilson instructed the other woman to “mind her own business” before getting Dakota back in the car and driving home, according to the affidavit. After some hesitation, Dakota eventually got out of the car and shouted that he was leaving.
Authorities reported that a Ring doorbell camera captured Wilson positioning himself on Dakota’s midsection close to his head and neck. Initially, the footage depicted the boy struggling to escape, but police reported that two clips lasting approximately seven minutes reveal Wilson sitting on a still Dakota.
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Wilson screams for Dakota after noticing she has lost consciousness, stating, “I was laying on him and he was acting bad.”
Officials reported that Dakota stood at 4 feet 10 inches and weighed 90 pounds, whereas Wilson was 4 feet 11 inches tall and weighed 340 pounds.
Wilson started her sentence on Friday, according to records.