By KATHY McCORMACK
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The boyfriend of a slain 5-year-old New Hampshire boy’s mom plans to plead responsible to manslaughter, in keeping with a court docket doc.
Joseph Stapf, 31, was initially charged with little one endangerment and witness tampering in reference to Elijah Lewis’ disappearance. He additionally plans to plead responsible to second-degree assault, falsifying bodily proof, and witness tampering, in keeping with a plea discover filed Friday in court docket.
A plea-and-sentencing listening to for Stapf was scheduled for Jan. 4, 2023. The totally negotiated plea carries a sentence of twenty-two to 45 years in jail, in keeping with the doc filed by Stapf’s lawyer.
Elijah’s mom, Danielle Dauphinais, 36, has pleaded not responsible to homicide prices.
Lewis was lacking and later discovered lifeless in Abington, Massachusetts, final October. An post-mortem confirmed he suffered facial and scalp accidents, acute fentanyl intoxication, malnourishment and strain ulcers.
When Lewis was nonetheless lacking, Stapf and Dauphinais had been arrested in New York that month on prices of witness tampering and little one endangerment. Days after their arrest, Elijah’s stays had been discovered. Both Dauphinais and Stapf stay in jail.
Dauphinais was indicted earlier this 12 months on one depend of first-degree homicide alleging that she purposely brought about her son’s demise, one depend of second-degree homicide alleging she acted recklessly in inflicting his demise, and three counts of witness tampering. She pleaded not responsible. Some motions have been filed in her case; a listening to is scheduled for Oct. 26.
Dauphinais is accused of killing her son someday between Sept. 27, 2020, and Sept. 24, 2021. She is also accused of telling two folks to lie and say the boy was with them in October and telling a 3rd to not discuss to investigators.
Arrest information have been sealed and attorneys are underneath an order preserving the data confidential.
“Counsel cannot discuss the facts of the case in open court with the Court without breaking the Court’s confidentiality order,” in keeping with a doc from one in every of Staph’s attorneys requesting a standing convention earlier than the decide in August.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”