An Orcutt man is expected to be sentenced to 25 years behind bars next month after changing his plea in connection with the death of a 19-month-old girl in 2016.
The Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office says Sean Michael Kothe, 27, pleaded guilty Tuesday to voluntary manslaughter for the death of Delilah CossioMolina, along with dissuading a witness by threat or force and three counts of child abuse.
The toddler died at the hospital June 28, 2016 from injuries prosecutors say she sustained while in the care of Kothe a few days earlier.
Kothe and Delilah’s mother reportedly lived together and Kothe had agreed to watch the girl while her mother was at work.
During that time, prosecutors say Delilah suffered a traumatic brain injury, skull fracture and subdural hematoma.
“Although no amount of time in prison can ever bring Delilah back, we hope this plea will enable her family to find some sense of closure and begin the arduous process of healing,” Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce E. Dudley said in a press release.
Kothe also pleaded guilty to attempting to escape from the jail after his arrest and admitted, in a separate case, to bringing heroin into the jail.
The plea came while jury selection was underway for Kothe’s trial.
Sentencing is set for Feb. 27.
