An Indiana woman was sentenced to six years in prison, with one year suspended, for smothering her 10-year-old foster son, Dakota Stevens. On April 25, 2024, Jennifer Lee Wilson pinned the boy down, causing fatal organ damage and lack of oxygen. She later pleaded guilty to reckless homicide in October.

Dakota sought help from a neighbor, alleging abuse, shortly before his death. Doorbell camera footage showed Wilson pinning Dakota’s midsection for several minutes. At 4'10" and 90 pounds, the child was much smaller than the 4'11", 340-pound Wilson. The official cause of death was lack of oxygen and fatal organ damage.

An Indiana woman has been ordered to spend six years in state prison for killing her 10-year-old foster son by pinning him to the ground and sitting on him. Senior Judge Michael Bergerson handed down the maximum sentence on Friday, with one year suspended to probation, for 49-year-old Jennifer Lee Wilson in the death of young Dakota Stevens.

Wilson pleaded guilty to one count of reckless homicide in October, acknowledging her role in the tragic events that unfolded in Valparaiso on April 25, 2024. Porter County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded that afternoon to a call about an unresponsive child at a residence on Falcon Way. Upon arriving, authorities found Dakota lying near the driveway, not breathing and without a pulse. The boy had bruises on his lower neck and chest and was taken to a hospital, where he died two days later.

An autopsy determined that Dakota’s death was a homicide caused by lack of oxygen to his brain over an extended period. He also suffered organ damage and hemorrhaging of the liver and lungs.

Investigators learned that Dakota had sought help from a neighbor, claiming he was being abused. According to a probable cause affidavit, Wilson found the boy a few blocks away talking to another woman, who told police that Dakota had asked her to call 911. Wilson reportedly told the woman to “mind her own business,” then drove Dakota back home.

Doorbell camera footage from that day showed Wilson bringing Dakota to the ground, positioning herself over his midsection and upper body. Authorities say the video shows Dakota initially struggling, but as he went motionless, Wilson remained on top of him for several minutes. She later told police she thought the boy was “faking” until she realized he was unconscious.

Police noted that Dakota was 4 feet 10 inches tall and weighed about 90 pounds, while Wilson stands 4 feet 11 inches and weighs approximately 340 pounds. In the moments after Dakota stopped moving, Wilson can be heard screaming his name and saying, “I was laying on him and he was acting bad.”

Wilson began serving her sentence immediately following the judge’s decision. Under the terms of the sentence, she will spend five years in prison and one year on probation.
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