Indiana foster mom who weighs 340lbs learns fate after she sat on boy, 10, for 'acting bad' and killed him

A foster parent has been jailed for 5 years for squashing a 10-year-old lad nether her 340lbs bulk for 7 minutes until helium died.

Jennifer Lee Wilson, 49, killed Dakota Levi Stevens successful a twisted 'punishment' aft helium ran distant and begged a neighbour to prevention him from her abuse.

The lad ran to his neighbor's connected April 24, telling the homeowner that his foster parents deed him and wouldn't fto him talk to his caseworker.

But lone a fewer minutes aft asking the neighbour to follow him, Dakota was dragged backmost to Wilson's home successful Liberty Township, Indiana, erstwhile she arrived.

Once they got home, Wilson laic connected apical of Dakota arsenic helium screamed - until his cries fell soundless and helium suffocated.

Dakota was pronounced dormant astatine a South Bend infirmary 2 days later, and an autopsy determined helium suffered organ and brushed insubstantial damage, liver and lung hemorrhaging, and different injuries.

The St Joseph County Coroner's Office ruled Dakota's decease a homicide, with a mode of decease of mechanical asphyxiation.

Senior Judge Michael Bergerson sentenced Wilson to 5 years down bars and different twelvemonth connected probation connected reckless homicide charges in Porter Superior Court.

The condemnation was much than the modular 3 years for a level 5 felony, and much than either the defence oregon prosecution asked for.

Deputy Prosecutor Mary Ryan requested 2 years successful prison, 2 successful location detention and 1 twelvemonth connected probation, portion Wilson's lawyers wanted nary jailhouse clip - conscionable 3 years location detention and 2 connected probation.

'He's pronounced dormant from asphyxiation, a 10-year-old boy, who this tribunal volition not ignore, arsenic helium was ignored by the defendant,' Judge Bergerson told the court.

'Obviously she applied much unit than was indispensable and that created the circumstances that led to his death.' 

Judge Bergerson said Wilson violated the spot inherent successful her relation arsenic a foster mother, and was talking connected her telephone 'with callous disregard' for Dakota arsenic helium died.

'All the portion this beauteous lad was crying for his beingness - crying for his beingness - the suspect is conscionable wholly oblivious that she had conscionable killed a foster child,' helium said. 

'It's hard to deliberation of a much egregious acceptable of circumstances.' 

Judge Bergerson said mitigating factors similar Wilson's remorse and deficiency of transgression past 'have to beryllium discounted by the overwhelming impervious of guilt successful this case'.

The tribunal was crammed with 'Dakota's army' of supporters, on with galore members of her biologic family, who cheered aft the sentencing.

Dakota's aunt, Ana Parrish-Parker, gave a unfortunate interaction connection describing however she had custody for a twelvemonth earlier Wilson.

Her sister, Dakota's mother, had the kid removed from her care when helium was 5 owed to her cause addiction, and his begetter died of an corruption related to his cause use.

Parrish-Parker was capable to follow Dakota's younger sister, but the lad was taken from her by the authorities aft she refused demands to summation their therapy schedule.

She said the children were already dealing with a demanding therapy docket and adding much to it would permission them 'no clip to bask being a child'.

Other relatives offered to instrumentality Dakota in, but were denied by the state. Instead, helium bounced astir the strategy and intelligence wellness facilities.

The household lone learned Dakota died via a Facebook connection from 1 of his foster parents respective days afterwards.

'Seeing your household endure and knowing you can't bash thing is precise despairing. It brings you to the lowest of lows,' Parrish-Parker tearfully told the court.

'We were not capable to beryllium determination to clasp his hand... His decease was wholly avoidable.'

Parrish-Parker told the Chicago Tribune aft the sentencing that jailing Wilson was 'the precise archetypal measurement successful our hearts coming together'.

'There was a full consciousness of bid that Levi was not ignored. Levi was here,' she said.

Wilson besides spoke astatine her sentencing, addressing Dakota's supporters straight and acknowledging they wouldn't forgive her, often sobbing arsenic she spoke.

'I cannot inquire you for forgiveness due to the fact that I cannot accidental for definite I would forgive idiosyncratic who was liable for the decease of my loved one,' she said

'Because of this tragedy, you mislaid him each implicit again. I americium profoundly saddened for the role, my role, successful this horrible tragedy.

'Just arsenic each of you wanted a loving and supportive situation for Dakota, truthful did I. Never successful a cardinal years could I ideate I would beryllium the idiosyncratic liable for his death.'

Wilson's hubby Robert Wilson told the tribunal his woman was holding Dakota down by his legs astatine the clip due to the fact that she feared helium would harm himself - arsenic helium had successful the past.

Wilson earlier claimed the lad had 'verbal and carnal aggression issues.' 

The mates were acceptable to relinquish their foster licence due to the fact that their 3 different children - erstwhile foster children whom they adopted - were older and they wanted to travel.

But they agreed to instrumentality Dakota successful past April - days earlier helium was killed - due to the fact that they provided respite attraction for him 2 years earlier.

Wilson told constabulary that Stevens woke up connected April 24 agitated aft being told not to tally successful the location portion playing Nerf guns with the different children.

She said she told Dakota and the different children they could spell extracurricular to play aft they finished their chores, but helium refused and stormed off.

At first, she said she planned to springiness him clip to chill off, but erstwhile she realized helium was not successful the backyard she got successful her car to way him down.

Wilson past recovered him talking to the neighbor, who told the foster parent that the lad asked her to telephone the cops.

But Wilson aboriginal told constabulary she told the neighbour to caput her ain business, according to tribunal documents.

She past forced Dakota to get into the car with her and brought him backmost to her home. Wilson claimed helium past tried to tally distant again.

Wilson told constabulary she did not retrieve whether she tackled the lad oregon if they some fell to the crushed 'however, her volition was to clasp him'.

For the adjacent respective minutes, Wilson video chatted with Dakota's caseworker, who she said tried to calm the lad implicit the telephone - though helium would 'flail and determination around'.

Wilson besides had a speech with her hubby done their doorbell camera arsenic she 'laid connected [Dakota's] midsection' adjacent the driveway.

She told her hubby Dakota was having 'one of his days'.

After respective minutes, Wilson got disconnected the lad - telling constabulary she got retired of enactment owed to her value - and noticed helium was not moving.

She past told Dakota to get up and asked 'are you faking?'

'She past rolled [Dakota] implicit and it appeared his eyelids were pale,' tribunal documents explained.

'She past began CPR and called 911.'

Deputies from the Porter County Sheriff's Department arrived astatine the location astatine astir 3.37pm for a study of an unconscious 10 twelvemonth aged who was not breathing.

They recovered Dakota connected the crushed adjacent the driveway, wherever idiosyncratic was administering CPR.

Dakota was not conscious, not breathing, and had nary pulse astatine the time, and an serviceman 'observed that the juvenile had bruising [on] his little cervix and thorax area'.

A constabulary affidavit stated Wilson was 'visibly distraught' erstwhile the deputies arrived and told them that Dakota had conscionable tally distant to a neighbors' location but was inactive 'acting up' and threw himself connected the ground, saying helium was leaving.

'Wilson stated that she laid connected his midsection and called his caseworker,' the affidavit stated.

'Wilson stated helium yet stopped moving and she thought helium was faking.

'She advised that she laid connected him for astir 5 minutes.'

During the ensuing investigation, constabulary obtained copies of Wilson's camera footage, which they said began with her already lying crossed the lad - adjacent his caput and neck.

Throughout the 20-second video, Dakota was screaming, the tribunal heard.

He was 'still crying and screaming' successful the adjacent 20-second video, and successful a 3rd Wilson could inactive beryllium seen connected apical of him - this clip adjacent his buttocks.

Dakota's arms were supra his caput successful that video, and helium 'did not move' for the full six-minute, 48-second clip.

Meanwhile, Wilson could beryllium heard saying, 'I was laying connected him and helium was acting bad'.

Dakota was initially transported to Northwest Health Porter for treatment, earlier being airlifted to South Bend Memorial Hospital.

A doc astatine Northwest Health aboriginal told constabulary helium had 'severe swelling successful his brain, which would beryllium accordant with deprived oxygen for an extended play of time'.

'He didn't merit this. He was amended than a batch of radical here,' Nicole Rubalcava, Stevens' aunt, said astatine his backstage funeral, according to the Tribune.

'Even if helium battled this stuff, this kid's bosom genuinely was not made for this world.

'He taught maine truthful much, helium genuinely did, and I didn't deliberation a kid could thatch you worldly similar that.' 

Wilson was licensed arsenic a foster genitor since 2017 and was successful bully lasting earlier Dakota's death, 'having completed the required grooming and acquisition required to execute and support licensure,' officials with the Indiana Department of Child Services told the Tribune. 

Her licence was yet revoked connected June 30.