CONCORD, N.H.—A New Hampshire woman pleaded guilty Thursday to second-degree murder in the 2021 death of her 5-year-old son, who was beaten, starved and neglected, weighing just 19 pounds when his body was found buried in a Massachusetts park, prosecutors said.
Danielle Dauphinais, 38, faces 58 years to life in prison when she is sentenced next month. Dauphinais had been scheduled for a trial and initially pleaded not guilty before opting to change her plea. She also pleaded guilty to two counts of witness tampering in the death of her son, Elijah Lewis, in an agreement reached with prosecutors.
Judge Lisa English in Nashua accepted Dauphinais’ guilty pleas. Her lawyer said that although Dauphinais didn’t agree with all the facts presented by the prosecution, she did agree she participated in Elijah’s death….