Dixie Denise Villa, 46, was found guilty of manslaughter in the February 2019 death of a 7-month-old at the unlicensed home day care she ran at Aliamanu Military Reservation in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Honolulu Police Department)
HONOLULU (Tribune News Service) — The babysitter who was convicted of manslaughter in the 2019 death of a 7-month-old girl at the unlicensed day care she operated out of her home in military housing was sentenced Wednesday to 20 years in prison.
Judge Fa ‘auuga To ‘oto ‘o sentenced Dixie Denise Villa this morning in First Circuit Court after a jury found her guilty as charged on Nov. 15 for the manslaughter of Abigail Lobisch, who died on Feb. 23, 2019, of an overdose of the active ingredient in Benadryl. The baby died while staying overnight at Villa’s home at Aliamanu Military Reservation in Honolulu.
Seven-month-old Abigail Lobisch died Feb. 24, 2019, in an unlicensed day care at a Hawaii military housing complex. (Anna Lobisch)
The former Navy spouse, who appeared for sentencing in a white prison jumpsuit, did not address the court at the advice of counsel because she plans to appeal the case. Villa remained stoic as the judge sentenced her.
Megan Kau, Villa’s attorney, asked the court for 10 years’ probation since she has no recent convictions and has two minor children.
But the judge said he has no choice but 20 years of imprisonment based on the medical records in the case, including the amount of Benadryl found in the baby’s blood.
Anna Lobisch, the baby’s mother, tearfully told the judge that her child was “only 7 months old when she was cruelly taken from this world.”
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