4-year-old Dontel Jeffers Life Was Only Worth 8 Years

[Sugar Cookie]

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.

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," Dontel's uncle, Vincent 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.

Woman who killed child in foster care set to be released

Fresh heartbreak and frustration for the family of a 4-year-old Dorchester boy who was brutally murdered by his foster mother.

www.boston25news.com

Working with scant evidence, prosecutors alleged that Stephen either beat Dontel or let someone to beat him. Dontel, who was in DSS custody when he was beaten, was taken to Caritas Carney Hospital in March 2005. Doctors struggled for 40 minutes to revive him, but could not.

A medical examiner later found the boy had severe bruises on his neck, ligature marks on his wrists and internal bleeding caused by a fierce blow to the abdomen that forced his intestine against his spine, causing the organ to burst.

“Prosecution testimony proved that Stephen, the boy’s sole caretaker, either inflicted those injuries or allowed another person to inflict them and chose not to provide him with medical treatment that could have saved his life,” the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.

Foster mother guilty in beating death of toddler

A 26-year-old foster mother was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of toddler Dontel Jeffers, who was bound and savagely beaten in 2005. Corinne Stephen, who had Jeffers in her care for just 10 days before he died,…

www.bostonherald.com

 

[Blizzard]

It does not make sense that a foster mother would assault the foster child. Like, no sense at all, they have resources and people they can contact if there is some problem they can't overcome, right?

 

[Sugar Cookie]

@Blizzard

It is a very complicated issue.

1. They could be parenting how they were parented as children.
2. May see the child as less than, already abused and used to that treatment.
3. Fear of losing the subsidy.

I doubt this little boy did anything more than being a little boy.

He may have had some behavioral issues due to drug or abuse exposure but nothing that warranted him being bound and beaten.

 

[Sew42mom]

It does not make sense that a foster mother would assault the foster child. Like, no sense at all, they have resources and people they can contact if there is some problem they can't overcome, right?

my MIL’s sister was a foster parent for years. Didn’t abuse the kids but I sure wouldn’t have wanted her to be my parent- the way she talked to those kids was extremely downgrading to theme. Not at all the way I would have talked to any child.
That little boy has the cutest smile! That is a grin that makes me happy. I hate that he’s no longer able to flash that grin and bring joy to someone’s life.

 

[Inferus]

Grinning in court concerning her behavior.

 

[Ramona the brave]

@Blizzard

It is a very complicated issue.

1. They could be parenting how they were parented as children.
2. May see the child as less than, already abused and used to that treatment.
3. Fear of losing the subsidy.

I doubt this little boy did anything more than being a little boy.

He may have had some behavioral issues due to drug or abuse exposure but nothing that warranted him being bound and beaten.

Most foster parents are great.
Many are awful and only in it for the money. Even the ones that put up a good front and smile for the social worker.
I'm not usually one to think this way, but I suspect it's more common than we think. Lots of foster care death cases out there.

 

[lastingmemoriesreborns]

I have known amazing foster parents that are there no matter what one of my friends just had to bury her foster daughter (medical issues that she died of there was nothing else they could do for her) she was there through it all. Then I also knew a lady that had severe mental issues was on tons of medication she was a foster mom she ended up rolling over on the newborn in her care and killing him. she got zero time and the foster care system only put stipulations on her that she could only foster older kids. (sick bitch tried to sue them as she wanted younger ones) There are NOT enough good foster care parents out there. Here in AL we have Big Oak Ranch. It is a Christian run facility I dont know if it is foster kids or just kids in need. But they are divided up into family settings with a Mom and a Dad that live there in a normal home setting. I believe there are 8 kids to a family. Dont know anything more than that but perhaps more of those settings should be set up. https://bigoak.org/

 

[Sejanus]

The community should have a special welcome set up.
Then not leave any evidence.