An unlicensed daycare boss who fatally poisoned a baby while operating on a military base has learnt her fate.
Twisted Dixie Denise Villa was convicted of manslaughter in November by a jury and on Wednesday was told she would receive the maximum 20 years in prison for killing an infant.
Villa ran the unlicensed practice out of a Hawaii military base on the island of Oahu and was in charge of seven-month-old Abigail Lobisch when the babe overdosed.
The court had heard how Villa, who appeared in white overalls, was based in the Alimanu Military Reservation despite being shut down several times by officials. By the end of February, she was completely shut down after Abigail tragically died.
Speaking at the sentencing hearing on Wednesday, Abigail's mum Anna Lobisch opened up on her pain of not being able to see her daughter group up. She told Villa: "I'll never hear her call me mama."
Abigail died from an overdose of diphenhydramine, an antihistamine that is the active ingredient of the drug Benadryl, Law&Crime reports. Prosecutors said that children under the age of 6 should never get that medicine without a doctor’s orders.
Addressing the court during the hearing, Judge Faaunga To'oto'o said: "The amount of Benadryl found in the blood system of baby Abi shouldn’t be given to any minor, much less to a baby seven months old. Those are the facts in this case.”
Ms Lobisch told the court that it had been more than 2,260 days since her daughter was killed and that a day hasn't gone past where she doesn't think about her.
"All that time my heart has never stopped hurting," she confessed. "My life has been defined by grief and loss and the pain of living without Abi is a heavy weight I will carry every single day for the rest of my life until Abi and I are finally reunited.”
The heartbroken mum's anger and upset were intensified after claiming that Villa had shown little to no remorse for the tot's tragic death.
Villa's defense lawyer Megan Kau asked for the defendant to be given probation and argued her client wasn't a danger to the public. Villa has two children of her own, including one with special needs. However, due to being locked up, she is unable to care for them behind bars.
Ms Kau added: “A probation sentence will reflect the seriousness of the offense and will promote respect for the law and will provide punishment for Ms. Villa."
Those two children are reportedly in the custody of Villa’s now-former husband, an active-duty sailor. In the end, the judge agreed with the prosecution’s demand for a maximum sentence.
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Baby was fatally poisoned by boss of unlicensed day care on military base – The Mirror US
