In a case that has captured the attention of New Hampshire and the nation, Danielle Dauphinais has entered a guilty plea for the murder of her 5-year-old son, Elijah Lewis. On Thursday, Dauphinais pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and two counts of witness tampering following a difficult and emotional nearly four-year period since the child's tragic death.
According to NBC Boston, Elijah Lewis was reported missing from his Merrimack home in October of 2021 and was later discovered dead in a Massachusetts park with injuries, neglect, and abuse. The autopsy revealed the young boy had suffered acutely from not only physical harm but also drug intoxication, having traces of fentanyl in his system at the time of death. The prosecution presented that Dauphinais was ready to falsely inform the Division of Youth and Family Services about the abuse to mislead their investigations.
Joseph Stapf, Dauphinais' boyfriend, has already been serving a prison sentence after pleading guilty to manslaughter and related charges in connection with the boy's death. This connection to Elijah's mother was a crucial development in a case that has shocked many because of its brutality toward an innocent child.
Emotions were charged outside the Nashua courthouse where onlookers, who supported Lewis, voiced their discontent and sorrow. "Eli deserves people showing up for him when his own mother couldn't even do that for him," said one member of the crowd in a statement obtained by WHDH. Another remarked that justice seemed to have fall short: "I think she should have done to her what she did to Elijah."
Dauphinais, now facing a sentencing projection ranging up to 55 years for the second-degree murder charge and seven years for each of the two counts of witness tampering, will return to court for her sentencing hearing next month.
