A former Hilo woman was sentenced to life in prison plus 25 years for the murder of her 4-year-old son in Oregon.
Jessica Analani Dutro, 25, was sentenced Friday by Washington County Circuit Judge Don Letourneau. She was found guilty earlier this month in Washington County Circuit Court. Five counts of murder by abuse and one count of second-degree assault were dismissed.
Zachary Dutro-Boggess died from complications of blunt force abdominal injuries.
"I believe the punishment fits the crime. This time the justice system worked for the victim," said the boy’s former foster mother, Kate Cruse, in a telephone interview.
Cruse, of Pahoa, was foster mother to Dutro-Boggess and his older sister for about a year, starting when he was 4 months old.
As part of a plea agreement, Dutro’s boyfriend, Brian Canady, 24, was convicted of manslaughter by abuse and second-degree assault for his role in the death. He was sentenced Friday to more than 12 years in prison and three years of post-prison supervision. The Oregonian newspaper reported Canady initially told detectives that he kicked the boy in the stomach because he was disobedient, although Canady later changed his story.
Dutro-Boggess’ father, Zachary Boggess, who lives on Hawaii island, could not be reached for comment.
The Oregonian reported Dutro-Boggess was transported to a hospital Aug. 14, 2012, after he collapsed at a homeless shelter in Tigard, Ore. He suffered from traumatic tears in his bowel and was removed from life support two days later.
Dutro-Boggess’ older sister testified that both Dutro and Canady beat her brother. According to the Oregonian, she told a counselor, "They beat my brother up, then he died. I seen them."
The murder trial attracted widespread media coverage after prosecutors asserted that Dutro’s abuse of her son may have been motivated by her belief that the boy was gay.
Prosecutors presented Facebook messages between Dutro and Canady where she expressed disappointment in her son’s mannerisms, describing them as gay. She wrote, "He walks and talks like it. Ugh." Dutro wrote that Canady needed to "work on" her son "big time," according to the Oregonian.
In November 2008, Dutro, who attended Hilo High School until the 11th grade, was convicted in an assault case involving a minor on Hawaii island. Dutro was found guilty in Family Court of third-degree assault involving her mother’s foster son. At that time, Dutro-Boggess and his older sister were under Cruse’s care.
As part of Dutro’s sentence in Hawaii, she was ordered to undergo anger management counseling and to complete parenting classes. Dutro regained custody of her children and moved to Oregon.
Dutro and Canady have an infant son who showed no signs of abuse, but Dutro’s three other children from a previous relationship all had been abused. Prosecutors also said the couple did not seek medical attention for Dutro-Boggess until it was too late.
Dutro’s surviving children are in the care of her relatives, according to the Oregonian.
