Mom who smothered daughter gets 20 years

Janishcia Cottinhgam said she loved her 1-year-old daughter, Robin.

But on the afternoon of Aug. 15, 2013, Cottingham smothered the crying child with a pillow.

The 25-year-old Millvale woman pleaded guilty Wednesday in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court to charges including manslaughter. Judge Beth Myers sentenced her to 20 years in prison.

When given a chance to speak, Cottingham said only that she loved her daughter. "Robin" was written on her jail slippers.

"She misses her child greatly," Cottingham's attorney, Will Welsh, said in an interview.

A trial had been scheduled to start Wednesday. But Cottingham, who already gave police a detailed confession, pleaded guilty to three charges: manslaughter, felonious assault and child endangering.

Cottingham didn't explain her actions that day. Prosecutors said the reasons for what happened are not clear. Cottingham initially was found incompetent to stand trial but later was deemed able to understand the charges and assist in her own defense. A not guilty by reason of insanity plea was ruled out.

The day of the killing, Welsh said Robin was sick and had been crying repeatedly.

Cottingham, a single mother who didn't have a job and was raising Robin on her own, "got overwhelmed," Welsh said.

"Records show she was asking for help. She needed help," he said.

Cottingham told police she smothered the child with a pillow while holding her in her arms. She then placed the child's body in a travel crib.

Cottingham's family has previously said she suffered from depression and anxiety. A few weeks before the killing, Cottingham had a psychological evaluation at Deaconess Hospital, but was found mentally sound and released.

Hamilton County Job and Family Services had assigned a caseworker to help Cottingham care for Robin, and they offered her in-home services. A caseworker had visited the home about a week before Robin was killed.

There was no evidence Robin was ever abused, Welsh said.

After smothering the child, Cottingham walked to her grandmother's house in Avondale, about 4 miles away. Once there, said Hamilton County Assistant Prosecutor Gus Leon, she called her mother in Atlanta.

Cottingham's grandmother heard her talking on the phone, saying the "baby was in heaven," Leon said. That led to calls to the operators of Cottingham's apartment complex and ultimately police.

Leon said her prior mental health issues would have been introduced at trial. "That was a significant factor in our taking the plea," he said.