Orcutt Man Facing Toddler Murder Charges

A 19-month-old girl is dead – a victim of alleged child abuse.

On Sunday a mother brought her 19-month-old girl to Marian Regional Medical Center. The toddler ended up dying two days later from severe head trauma. T onight , that mother’s boyfriend faces murdercharges.

“I’m kind of shocked because it’s a quiet neighborhood,” neighborSandra Mahmoodi said.

Neighbors are reacting – wondering how something like this could happen.

“My heart is broken especially for such a young life being taken away like that so soon,” Mahmoodi said.

Sheriff’s investigators say that the victim’s mother, 21-year-old Jackeline Molina-Rodriguez of Oceano, brought her injured baby to the Emergency Room at Marian Regional Medical Center around noon on Sunday . The 19-month-old girl was airlifted to Valley Children’s Hospital in Madera in Central California. Investigators say the mother’s story didn’t match the severity of the baby’s head injuries. The toddler died two days later. The mother was arrested for child endangerment but has been released and not charged.

Detectives arrested the mother’s boyfriend, 24-year-old Sean Kothe, early Monday morning at this home on Crestwood Drive in Orcutt – charging him with murder, assault on a child causing death and drug charges. Kothe’s father refused to talk on camera and asked for some space at this time.

“I don’t really like to see that type of thing happening in my neighborhood,” neighbor Patrick Youngern said.

Some neighbors, however, are not holding back.

“It’s really disgusting that kind of stuff happens here in our community and I’m really hoping that the District Attorney’s office prosecutes this to the fullest extent of the law for whoever IS responsible,”Youngern said.

“Hey, things happen in life,” neighborRobert Bonilla said.

Other neighbors, like Robert Bonilla, say they remember Kothe as a well-behaved baseball player that played with his kids.

“As he got older you know he’s always been polite, always says hello, his dad and I grew up together and our kids played baseball together and watched Sean play,” Bonilla said.

We’re told Kothe went to Righetti High School.People in the neighborhood did agree on one thing though- that this should not have happened.

“I want to see our people in government to take a stand to prevent this kind of stuff,” Youngern said.

“You know, it’s a sad and unfortunate thing,” Bonilla said.

“Our heart goes to the family, I hope they receive justice for the baby and the whole family,”Mahmoodi said.

Kothe was arraigned in court yesterday – h e remains in jail on $1,000,000 bond.
He’s back in court on July 13th.