Rhode Island man convicted of stabbing 81-year-old woman more than 60 times

WOONSOCKET, R.I. (TCN) — A 27-year-old man has been convicted of fatally stabbing an elderly woman dozens of times.

The Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office announced that on Jan. 15, a jury found Matthew Dusseault Jr. guilty of one count of first-degree murder committed with aggravated battery and torture in connection with the death of 81-year-old Constance Gauthier. Dusseault is set to be sentenced on March 28 and faces up to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

According to prosecutors, on March 23, 2016, a neighbor saw Gauthier through a window unresponsive on her bedroom floor and called law enforcement. Woonsocket Police responded and found the victim “in a pool of blood with more than 60 stab wounds partially concealed by a mattress.” Officers noted that the room appeared ransacked, but nothing was stolen.

Two years after the stabbing, investigators submitted DNA samples from the crime scene for genealogical testing and found partial familial matches. Dusseault had previously consented to a buccal swab, and the sample matched the DNA found at the crime scene.

Attorney General Neronha said, “Look no further than the judgment imposed by this jury to understand the severity of this defendant’s crime. Constance Gauthier was a vibrant, active woman whose life was tragically cut short, leaving her friends and family to pick up the pieces. I can only hope that those who loved her feel a sense of closure knowing that justice has been served.”

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