WOONSOCKET, R.I. (WPRI) — Nearly a decade after the deadly stabbing of an elderly Woonsocket woman, the man convicted of killing her has been sentenced.
Matthew Dusseault, 28, was found guilty in January of first-degree murder in the death of 81-year-old Constance Gauthier. Jurors also determined that the crime involved torture and aggravated assault.
BACKGROUND: Man found guilty of stabbing 81-year-old Woonsocket woman to death
In March 2016, Gauthier’s body was discovered under a mattress inside her home, with more than 60 stab wounds. Two years later, Dusseault was indicted after prosecutors said his DNA was found mixed with Gauthier’s blood on furniture in her bedroom.
Dusseault pleaded not guilty, and his family continues to insist he did not commit the murder. His mother, Paula Gauthier, previously told 12 News she believes the case was “botched” and that the system failed both her son and Constance Gauthier…