Foster mother charged in death of boy, 4

Prosecutors say he was beaten

John Ellement and Patricia Wen

Boston Globe

Nearly four months after a young boy died, his 24-year-old foster mother was arrested yesterday on charges of beating him to death and failing to obtain medical attention when his life was clearly in jeopardy.

Boston police arrested Corinne N. Stephen on a charge of second-degree murder in the death of 4-year-old Dontel Jeffers on March 6. Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said she is accused of abusing the child repeatedly and inflicting two severe blows, at least one of which caused fatal internal injuries. She is also accused of using a telephone cord to tie him up.

Conely said he does not have evidence to support a first-degree murder charge, which requires proof of premeditation or ''extreme atrocity or cruelty."

Conley said that a grand jury will continue to investigate, however, and that there is a possibility that more charges could be filed against Stephen and that others may be charged.

''This is far from over," Conley said during a press conference yesterday. ''The road ahead remains long, but at its end is justice for the boy and his family. And we will get there."

Stephen, who was in police custody, was scheduled to be arraigned this morning in Dorchester District Court. Her lawyer, Carl N. Donaldson, declined to comment last night.

''I never, ever, ever try my client's case in the press," he said.

Relatives reacted with relief and anger at news that authorities had concluded that Dontel's death was the result of beatings.

''I told them so," said Agatha Jeffers, the boy's grandmother, in a phone interview. ''He would not just die so. He was not sick. He was a healthy boy."

The grandmother, who had fought for custody of the boy, questioned why it took prosecutors nearly four months to figure out why Dontel died. She said that when she and other relatives viewed the boy's bruised body at the medical examiner's office before his autopsy, they could see that he had been beaten.

''Why did it take so long?" she asked.

After the foster mother drove Dontel to Caritas Carney Hospital, investigators kept open the possibility that a rambunctious boy had died from accidental injuries. The foster mother said the child had been jumping on the bed and hit his head on the radiator the day before.

But as the weeks passed, suspicions about the foster mother's inconsistent accounts grew, authorities said. At first she was allowed to keep caring for her own 2-year-old son, but within two weeks, he was removed and taken into the care of the state Department of Social Services, DSS officials said.

Soon thereafter, prosecutors began receiving the final autopsy results and convened a grand jury.

Law enforcement officials said they looked into one person's account that the boy was being beaten as punishment for wetting his bed. But prosecutors have been unable to substantiate that contention as the motive in the alleged beatings, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation.

Prosecutors said the foster mother is charged with second-degree murder because ''a reasonable person" in her position should have known her acts had a strong possibility of inflicting fatal injury.

Prosecutors now contend the boy may have already been dead when Stephen brought him to the hospital. They are declining to say specifically where they believe the foster mother struck the boy, and they refused to release the autopsy results, citing the need to keep some medical information confidential so it does not influence the testimony of other witnesses.

Prosecutors said Dontel had a bruise under his left eye; fingernail marks on his forehead, neck, and hands; and bruises on his arms. The law enforcement official briefed on the investigation said one of the assaults ruptured the boy's intestine, causing a severe internal infection that contributed to his death.

Harry Spence, the commissioner of the state Department of Social Services, the agency responsible for placing Dontel in the foster mother's home, was on vacation and could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Susan Getman, deputy commissioner of DSS, said the agency continues to probe Dontel's death.

''We will never forget this child," Getman said. ''Our hearts are breaking as they began to break in early March."

DSS officials have long said they had no basis to suspect that Stephen would hurt a child. Since she graduated form Madison Park Technical Vocational High School in 1999, she had worked steadily as a foster mother for the state or for private agencies. She had eight previous placements prior to caring for Dontel, and there were no signs that she was a threat to a child's safety, they said.

When she was assigned to care for Dontel, she was working for Massachusetts Mentor, a private contractor used by DSS. Massachusetts Mentor provides ''therapeutic" foster parents, who are trained to give one-on-one care to a child who needs a higher level of supervision.

Denise Monteiro, DSS spokeswoman, said her agency's investigation has not shown that Stephen had had any problems with her foster children.

During most of his life, Dontel had been cared for primarily by his father, Elary Jeffers.

But in October, Elary Jeffers was deported to his native Caribbean island, Nevis, after police discovered an outstanding deportation order. That immigration order surfaced when the father was charged with domestic violence against his girlfriend.

After Elary Jeffers was deported, Agatha Jeffers and the boy's mother, Christal Claiborne, fought for custody.

A judge awarded custody to Claiborne, who had had infrequent visits with the boy.

Within months, Dontel was pulled from her home; DSS alleged that she was neglecting him because she was abusing drugs.

In November, the boy was brought to Bridge Home, a residential center in Dorchester where children are evaluated for problems associated with child abuse or neglect.

After Dontel spent about three months there, DSS officials concluded that he should go to a therapeutic foster home and denied Agatha Jeffers's request to care for him.

State officials said the grandmother was rejected because they thought that she could not provide the level of care needed and that her home had some outstanding safety issues, including lead paint.

Upon hearing the news of the arrest last night, Elary Jeffers, in a phone interview from Nevis, said he was pleased, , but added, ''It still can't bring back my son."