An Indiana woman was sentenced Friday to six years in prison for the death of her 10-year-old son nearly a year ago.
Jennifer Lee Wilson is accused of sitting on the boy’s midsection for about 5 minutes because he was “acting up,” which caused him to suffocate, CBS News Chicago reported, citing court records.
After initially denying any wrongdoing, Wilson pleaded guilty to reckless homicide in October.
The boy, Dakota Levi Stevens, died in April 2024. An autopsy later determined the cause of death to be severe brain swelling and oxygen deprivation.
Authorities responded to reports of an “unresponsive” child at a home in Valparaiso, a northwestern Indiana city located about 50 miles south of Chicago, on April 25.
The child was rushed to a local hospital but succumbed to his injuries two days later.
According to police, the foster mother told investigators that the boy had been “acting bad” all day. She claimed that “when she attempted to stop him from leaving, she does not know if she tackled Dakota or they fell to the ground,” but added that “her intention was to hold him,” according to court documents.
Doorbell camera footage revealed a 340-pound woman pinning down the 91-pound child, police said.
Earlier that day, the boy ran to a neighbor’s house and asked her to adopt him, saying his parents hit him and did not call his caseworker, court records show.
On Friday, Porter Superior Court Senior Judge Michael Bergerson sentenced Wilson to five years in the Indiana Department of Corrections followed by one year of probation, according to the Chicago Tribune.