The courtroom where Eric Richard Boudreau was to be sentenced for brutally assaulting and murdering 13-month-old Jace Alexander McDonald was filled with sobs as a video paying tribute to the boy’s short life played for the judge.
Silent and stone-faced while the video played was Boudreau himself, who was criticized by members of Jace’s family on Thursday, Dec. 11, for the lack of genuine emotion he showed during his trial and in the aftermath of Jace’s death.
Boudreau cried for what he said was the first time while apologizing to Jace’s family, his own parents and Jace himself during his statement to the court on Thursday before Thurston County Superior Court Judge Christine Schaller delivered his sentence.
“I’m sorry. There aren’t enough apologies. I’m sorry isn’t good enough,” Boudreau said.
Boudreau’s tears quickly dried, however, as he verbally opposed the jury's verdict and insisted that he did not intentionally harm Jace.
“I know some of you feel so sure this was murder, but really nobody knows,” Boudreau said. “Ask yourself, ‘What if we’re wrong here?’”
Boudreau and his defense attorney did acknowledge that Boudreau was responsible for Jace’s death because Jace was in Boudreau’s care at the time of his death.
“But I did not hurt him, and I did not murder him,” Boudreau said, adding that he believes his conviction will be overturned upon appeal.
A 12-person jury found Boudreau guilty of second-degree murder, second-degree assault of a child and third-degree assault of a child on Thursday, Nov. 13, after 16 days of trial and roughly five hours of deliberations.
They also found Boudreau guilty of three aggravating factors — vulnerable victim, deliberate cruelty by a person in a position of trust, and injuries substantially exceeding the level of bodily harm necessary to satisfy the elements of the offense — that allowed Schaller to sentence Boudreau above the standard sentencing range.
Because he had no criminal history before this case, that standard sentencing range was between 10 and 18 years. Schaller sentenced Boudreau on Thursday to 520 months, just over 43 years.
Boudreau will receive credit for the approximately 32 months of time he served while awaiting trial.
If Boudreau serves his entire jail sentence, he would be released at or around the age of 75.
She also ordered that Boudreau spend 36 months on probation after his release, during which time he is to have no contact with certain members of Jace’s family and no contact with any minors.
Boudreau was arrested and charged for Jace’s murder in March 2023 — four months after the baby died of blunt force injuries that he sustained while under Boudreau’s care on Nov. 11, 2022.
The King County Medical Examiner determined Jace’s cause of death was homicide.
Boudreau, having gotten little sleep the night before after performing with his band and arguing with a friend, testified that he fell asleep in his second-floor bedroom while babysitting Jace. He said he “woke up in hell,” finding Jace unresponsive and heavily bruised at the bottom of a 10-foot staircase.
Investigators and medical personnel, however, questioned Boudreau’s narrative due to the extent and locations of Jace’s injuries.
A medical examiner documented at least 115 external injuries on Jace’s body, including bruises, lacerations and abrasions. The medical examiner noted that number was a conservative estimate, as many of the injuries blended together.
Of particular concern were an adult human bite mark on Jace’s leg, an upper lip frenulum tear and deep bruising to his genitals, eyelids, bottoms of his feet and inside of his ears.
Internal injuries included two skull fractures, brain bleeding, abdominal bleeding and a neck injury.
“He could not have fallen down the stairs and caused all of those injuries,” said Deputy Prosecutor Jessica Shen, referencing testimony from medical personnel during her closing argument on Nov. 12.
Boudreau called his criminal case a “dragged-out three-year procession” and said he “would have been willing to resolve this much earlier” by giving up his right to appeal in exchange for a favorable sentence.
The prosecution confirmed Thursday that Boudreau was not offered a plea deal ahead of trial, but said there were informal discussions about potential resolution that never went forward because the parties were too far apart in their requests.
“I would have gone quietly years ago, but now this procession has all been so offensive that I can’t just not say something. I realize now that I deserve to heal, too,” Boudreau said. “I’m a human being, and I want to show that I’m not the monster that you think I am, despite what you may believe.”
Schaller called Boudreau’s statements to her, both the one he gave in person on Thursday and a written one submitted ahead of his sentencing hearing, “an attempt to manipulate and bully the court.”
She specifically referred to a section of his written statement where he promised not to appeal his conviction should Schaller grant the defense’s request for a 15-year jail sentence.
She also referenced the conflicting statements he gave police during the investigation into Jace’s death, and his repeated attempts in testimony and statements to get people to feel sorry for him, which Schaller said make his own apologies feel disingenuous.
“This is the perfect example of who you are, Mr. Boudreau — someone who will manipulate to get what he wants,” Schaller said.
Members of Jace’s family who spoke to the court on Thursday described Jace as a happy, silly and sassy baby with a big smile who was denied the chance to grow up.
The family relayed that one of Jace’s stepbrothers recently had a dream that Jace came down from heaven to have breakfast with the family.
“I hope all of you take that as Jace letting you all know that he’s OK and that he wants you all to be OK, too,” Schaller said.
Previous coverage of Boudreau’s trial can be found at chronline.com.
