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Life Sentence for Man Convicted in Brutal 2016 Slaying of 81-Year-Old Found Under Mattress

01:58 AM, 11/30/2025
Life Sentence for Man Convicted in Brutal 2016 Slaying of 81-Year-Old Found Under Mattress

Key points: Matthew Dusseault, now 28, received a life sentence with possible parole for the 2016 stabbing death of 81-year-old Constance Gauthier, who was found concealed under a mattress with more than 60 stab wounds. DNA from the scene linked Dusseault to the crime; prosecutors did not disclose a motive. Authorities and family members said they hope the verdict provides some closure, though relatives called the attack brutally senseless.

A Rhode Island man has been sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole, for the 2016 killing of 81-year-old Constance Gauthier. The sentence was imposed Nov. 18 at Providence Superior Court following a conviction earlier this year.

The crime and investigation

Gauthier was discovered at her Woonsocket home on March 23, 2016, with more than 60 stab wounds and her body concealed under a mattress. Neighbors reported seeing her through a bedroom window and finding her unresponsive on the floor. Investigators said the house had been staged to look ransacked, though nothing was taken.

DNA collected at the scene was later matched to Matthew Dusseault after a police swab linked him to the evidence. Prosecutors did not disclose a motive for the attack. Dusseault was 18 at the time of the killing and is now 28.

Trial, sentencing and reactions

In January, Dusseault was found guilty of first-degree murder. At sentencing, the court imposed life in prison with the possibility of parole. Defense attorneys previously urged consideration of his age at the time of the crime as a reason to make him eligible for parole review.

"For the past seven years, I've been labeled as a criminal and treated like an animal. I ask, where's the justice in this world?" — Matthew Dusseault, speaking in court.

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha described Gauthier as a "vibrant, active woman whose life was tragically cut short" and said he hopes the sentence gives her loved ones some measure of closure. Gauthier’s niece, Sandy Paul, said she will "never understand" the brutality of the attack and that the punishment cannot replace her aunt. "It’ll never be enough. She’s not here," Paul said.

The court’s ruling concludes a case that began with the 2016 discovery and was advanced by DNA evidence that ultimately tied the defendant to the scene and led to a first-degree murder conviction this year.

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