Orcutt Man Sentenced for Manslaughter of Toddler

Source: District Attorney of Santa Barbara County

Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce E. Dudley announced today that on January 22, 2019, Sean Kothe, 27, plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter for killing 19 month old Delilah Cossio-Molina in case 1500339. The Defendant additionally plead guilty to dissuading a witness by threat of force, three counts of felony child abuse, and an attempted escape from County jail. In case number 18CR03665, the Defendant plead guilty to bringing heroin, a controlled substance, into County jail.

As a result of this plea, the Defendant will be sentenced to 25 years in prison by the Honorable Judge Gustavo Lavayen on February 27, 2019 in Department 8 of the Santa Barbara Superior Court Santa Maria Division.

Between June 25, 2016 and June 26, 2016, the Defendant agreed to watch Delilah Cossio-Molina while Delilah’s mother was at work. Delilah and her mother were living with the Defendant in his home in Orcutt at the time. While in the Defendant’s care, Delilah suffered a traumatic brain injury, a skull fracture, and subdural hematoma. The Defendant never sought medical attention for Delilah. In the late morning of June 26, 2016, the Defendant told Delilah’s mother that she needed to come home from work and take Delilah to the hospital. When Delilah arrived at the hospital, Delilah was unconscious and unresponsive. Despite heroic efforts by the medical staff at Marian Medical Center and Valley Children’s Hospital in Madera, Delilah died from her injuries on June 28, 2016.

As a result of the extensive and exemplary investigation by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, led by Detective Wayne Flick, the Defendant was held accountable for this horrific crime. In expressing her appreciation for all the first responders and prosecutors working on this case, District Attorney Joyce E. Dudley stated, “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.”