How Could You? Hall of Shame Case Review-Dontel Jeffers case-Child Death

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From Dorchester, Massachusetts,on March 6, 2005 , 4-year-old “Dontel Jeffers endured excruciating pain in the last hours of his brief life, according to doctors. Yesterday, the only person held accountable for his death, his foster mother, was sentenced to a minimum of eight years in prison.”

“A jury found Corinne Stephen guilty of involuntary manslaughter on Nov. 16, following a two-week trial. Massachusetts sentencing guidelines recommend a prison term of 40 to 60 months for a person convicted of involuntary manslaughter with no prior criminal record.

“The circumstances in this case do mandate a departure from those guidelines,” Suffolk Superior Court Judge Margaret H. Hinkle said moments after she sentenced Stephen, 26, of Dorchester.

Stephen had been Dontel’s foster mother for 10 days when she carried his lifeless body into the emergency room at Caritas Carney Hospital in Dorchester on March 6, 2005. An autopsy revealed that the 4-year-old boy died from either a forceful squeeze to his neck or a blow to his abdomen that ruptured his bowel. Prosecutors argued that Stephen either inflicted the injuries herself or allowed another person to inflict them and then chose not to provide him with medical attention that could have saved his life.

Yesterday, dressed in a gray pantsuit with her hands cuffed, she sat motionless as Assistant District Attorney David Deakin argued that she should receive 18 to 20 years, and her lawyer, John Palmer, called for house arrest.

Stephen remained stoic as Vincent James, Dontel’s adult cousin, sat in the witness chair and de scribed the family’s reaction when they viewed Dontel’s bruised and swollen face at the city morgue.

“We don’t want to see this happen to another kid,” James said.

As Hinkle issued the sentence, a collective gasp arose from the front row of the courtroom, where James and several of Dontel’s relatives were sitting.

“I’m glad it’s all over with now; we’ll have to go with what the judge decided,” James said later, acting as the spokesman for the Jeffers family.

Stephen’s father, Steve Stephen, declined to comment outside the courtroom.

In making her decision, Hinkle acknowledged that Corinne Stephen has a son who now is about the same age as Dontel was when he died, and at one point used the words “caring” to describe the defendant.

But she said Dontel was “an especially vulnerable victim.”

Jeffer’s death captured the city’s attention and put a focus on how the state’s Department of Social Services utilizes foster care agencies to place children.

Massachusetts Mentor, which screened Stephen, agreed last year to pay an undisclosed amount of money to settle a wrongful-death case filed by Dontel’s parents, Christal Claiborne and Elary Jeffers, who were not married and were estranged at the time of his death.

Richard Nangle, spokesman for DSS, declined to comment yesterday.

“Out of respect to the court process and the families involved, we are not going to make a statement,” Nangle said.

Elary Jeffers said he raised Dontel as a single parent but was deported to Nevis when his son turned 4.

His deportation set into motion a series of events that led to Dontel being placed in DSS custody after staying for a brief time with his paternal grandmother, Agatha Jeffers.

Elary Jeffers submitted a statement to the court, which Deakin read yesterday.

“My life now is empty,” the statement read. “I spend every day missing Dontel and trying to keep the thoughts of how horrible his last days were out of my head. I would gladly suffer all the pain he suffered only to have him back. I do not know how another human being, especially someone who has a child of her own, could cause so much pain to such a beautiful boy.”

Pain was a constant theme throughout yesterday’s sentencing. Deakin used the word several times during his sentence recommendations.

Both lawyers referred to the emotional pain the case has caused the families they represent.

Stephen was indicted on charges of second-degree murder by a grand jury in August 2005, but jurors at this year’s trial opted for the lesser charge of involuntary manslaughter.”

Eight years in foster care death[Boston.com 12/6/2007 by Brian R. Ballou]

“Fresh heartbreak and frustration for the family of a  4-year-old Dorchester boy who was brutally murdered by his foster mother. The high-profile case devastated the community, back in 2006. And it also shined a light on the failures between the Department of Children and Families and foster care agencies.

The foster mother convicted of killing Dontel Jeffers has served her sentence and will soon step out of prison, a free woman.

The family called it a light sentence and they’re also unhappy with the recent DCF failures.

Dontel’s uncle, Vincent James said, “It seem like it was just yesterday.”

Nearly a  decade later and the wounds are still fresh for the Dontel’s family. The 4-year-old was just two months shy of his 5th birthday when he was brutally beaten by his foster mother while in the state’s custody for about 10 days. The case is still considered one of the worst cases of abuse in the history of Department of Children and Families, then called DSS.

“She’s gonna be free. Coming home to her son, while Dontel is 6 feet below,” James said.

Corrine Stephen, a single mother at the time, was charged with second degree murder but convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Dontel’s death. Dontel’s family tells us Stephen is set to be released next week after serving roughly 8 years in prison.

“That’s not a proper sentence. So the state needs to look at the way how they sentencing people for beating kids in the state,” James said.

He is calling for more prevention of abuse in state supervised foster homes. At the time of Dontel’s death, then Boston Mayor Thomas Menino had called for sweeping reforms. But 10 years later, there have been several deaths of children in DCF care and Dontel’s family says nothing has changed.

Governor Charlie Baker announced system-wide reforms to DCF last month including the re-establishment of a central regional office that hasn’t been open since around the time of Dontel’s death. Dontel’s family says Baker could do more.

“They’re saying things but there’s still a lot more work to be done. And I don’t think it go far enough yet,” James said.

We did reach out to the Department of Corrections and they tell us Stephen’s sentence was 8-12 years and her release is in line with that. ”

Woman who killed child in foster care set to be released[Fox Boston 10/8/15]

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