CRAIG T. KOJIMA / NOV. 6 Babysitter Dixie Denise Villa was found guilty today of manslaughter in the death of 7-month-old Abigail Lobisch on February 23, 2019.
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / NOV. 6 Babysitter Dixie Denise Villa was found guilty today of manslaughter in the death of 7-month-old Abigail Lobisch on February 23, 2019.
An Oahu Circuit Court jury has found babysitter Dixie Denise Villa guilty of manslaughter in the February 2019 death of 7-month-old Abigail Lobisch.
They received the case late Wednesday afternoon after three days of evidence and opening and closing statements, and deliberated for a full day. They returned with a verdict this morning within half an hour of starting their deliberations.
Bail was increased to $500,000, and Villa, who had been free after posting bail in 2019, was immediately taken into custody.
Manslaughter carries a maximum sentence of twenty years.
Villa was charged with manslaughter in July 2019 after an autopsy report showed that Lobisch, who was found dead at Villa’s Aliamanu Military Reservation home on February 24, 2019, died of diphenhydramine (an antihistamine found in Benadryl) toxicity.
The jury was not told at trial that Villa, then a 40-year-old Navy wife, had allegedly run an illegal, unlicensed childcare business out of her Aliamanu Military Housing home, and that neighbors had complained of neglect.
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The defense argued that Lobisch’s mother and father, Villa’s two older daughters or a friend could have given the drug to the child.
Attorney Megan Kau said the baby’s mother, Anna Lobisch, could have had the drug in her system by taking TYLENOL PM and induced the fatal levels in her daughter with her breast milk.
The state’s case showed that Villa was home alone with Abigail Lobisch, her 2-year-old brother, Villa’s own daughter and son, all under the age of 5, on the night of Feb. 23, 2019.
Deputy Prosecutor Tiffany Kaeo said she was the only one who could administer the drug.
Kaeo said Villa was overwhelmed with caring for all the children, and opted to calm the children with iPads and the baby with diphenhydramine.
Kau said she will file for an annulment because the deputy prosecutor told the court this morning that new evidence has come to light that Anna Lobisch slept with her baby.
Although co-sleeping was not listed as a cause of death, Kau said it is a problem if the accuser withholds information and Lobisch lied during her testimony. Kau also said the prosecutor pointed out that it was irresponsible for Villa to sleep with baby Abigail next to her.
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