A foster mother has been sentenced to five years in prison for the death of a 10-year-old boy she crushed under her 340-pound (154 kg) body for seven minutes, causing his death.
Jennifer Lee Wilson, 49, killed Dakota Stevens in a horrific act of punishment after he ran away from her home and begged a neighbor to save him from ongoing abuse.
Dakota went to his neighbor’s home on April 24, 2024, and told them that his foster parents frequently slapped him and would not allow him to talk to his caseworker. However, he was soon dragged back to Wilson’s house. There, Wilson pinned the boy under her body as he wailed and sobbed. His cries eventually became silent as he suffocated.
Porter County Sheriff’s Detective Dan Alonzo testified that he reviewed footage from a doorbell camera showing Wilson lying across Dakota’s body near his neck and head. According to the affidavit, the boy screamed “the whole time” until his cries ceased.
Dakota was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead on April 27, 2024, at South Bend Memorial Hospital. His death was ruled a homicide caused by mechanical asphyxiation. An autopsy revealed organ and tissue damage, as well as liver and lung hemorrhaging.
During sentencing, the judge gave Wilson five years in prison and one year of probation, which is more than the standard three-year sentence for a level-five felony. The punishment was also more severe than what both the defense and prosecution had requested.
The deputy prosecutor had recommended two years in prison, two years of home detention, and one year of probation. Wilson’s lawyer argued that she needed no jail time at all, instead suggesting three years of home detention and two years of probation.
Wilson claimed she didn’t know if she tackled Dakota or if they both fell to the ground, but she intended to restrain him. She said she pinned him down with one hand bracing herself and the other holding her phone, according to court documents. At some point, she asked Dakota, “Are you faking?” before rolling him over and noticing his pale eyelids.
The courtroom was filled with Dakota’s supporters, including members of his biological family, who mourned the boy’s tragic death.
Dakota had been placed in foster care due to his biological mother’s drug addiction. His father had died from an infection related to drug use. Shockingly, Dakota’s biological family learned of his death days later through a Facebook message.
