Inset, left to right: Jennifer Lee Wilson (Berrien County Sheriff’s Office) and Dakota Stevens (WMAQ). Background: The home where Wilson and Stevens lived (WMAQ).
A 49-year-old woman in Indiana is facing years behind bars after admitting to her role in killing her 10-year-old foster son by sitting on the boy’s midsection for several minutes after he had asked a neighbor to call 911 because he was being abused.
Jennifer Lee Wilson on Tuesday pleaded guilty to one count of reckless homicide in the death of young Dakota Stevens, records reviewed by Law&Crime show. In Indiana, an individual convicted of reckless homicide faces up to six years in a state correctional facility and a maximum fine of $10,000.
As Law&Crime previously reported, deputies with the Porter County Sheriff’s Office at about 3:37 p.m. on April 25, 2024, responded to a call regarding an unresponsive 10-year-old at a home in the 200 block of Falcon Way in Valparaiso, Indiana, which is about 150 miles northwest of Indianapolis.
Once there, first responders found the boy — later identified as Dakota — lying on the ground near the home’s driveway. Someone was providing CPR to the boy, who deputies said was “not conscious, not breathing, and had no pulse.” First responders also noted that the victim had visible bruising to his lower neck and chest.
Deputies took over CPR until emergency medical personnel arrived on the scene and took Dakota to a hospital, where he died two days later. An autopsy determined his manner of death was a homicide, and the cause of death was severe swelling in the brain and being “deprived of oxygen for an extended period of time.” He also suffered organ damage as well as hemorrhaging of the liver and lungs.
At the scene, police made contact with Wilson, whom they described as being “visibly distraught.”
Wilson explained that Dakota had been acting out all day and, at one point, refused to do his chores and left the house, according to a probable cause affidavit. Wilson said she found him talking to another woman a few blocks away. The other woman explained to Wilson that Dakota had just requested she call the police.
Wilson told the other woman to “mind her own business” and was able to get Dakota back in the car and drive home, the affidavit reportedly states. However, after initially refusing to get out of the car, Dakota reportedly exited and screamed that he was leaving.
“Wilson stated that when she attempted to stop him from leaving, she does not know if she tackled Dakota or they fell to the ground however her intention was to hold him,” the court filing stated.
Police said that footage from a Ring doorbell camera showed Wilson “laid on (Dakota’s) midsection” near the area of his head and neck. While the footage initially showed the boy fighting and flailing to get free, police said two clips that run for about seven minutes show Wilson sitting atop a motionless Dakota.
When Wilson realizes that Dakota lost consciousness, police said, she can be heard screaming his name before saying, “I was laying on him and he was acting bad.”
Authorities said Dakota was 4 foot 10 inches tall and weighed only 90 pounds, while Wilson was 4 foot 11 inches and weighed 340 pounds.
Wilson is currently scheduled to appear for her sentencing hearing on Jan. 17, 2025.
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