Two-year sentence ordered in infant death case

Levi M. Coffel, of West Plains, has been sentenced to serve two years in the Missouri Department of Corrections. On December 9, the Honorable Sandra Brewer handed down the sentence, which also recommends Coffel to a 120-day program. He is ordered to surrender himself to the authorities on Jan. 2, 2025. 

 

In July, Coffel pled guilty to second degree manslaughter in the August 2023 death of his six-month-old daughter. Initially charged with abuse or neglect of a child resulting in death, Coffel’s plea to the class E felony was accepted in Howell County Court by the Honorable Sandra Brewer on July 22. 

 

Coffel is convicted for the August 9, 2023 incident in which he was the only caretaker to four small children, including the deceased. West Plains Police recorded his blood-alcohol level at 0.191. The child perished by drowning in the bathtub when Coffel stepped out of the room to find her diaper bag, according to the probable cause statement. Coffel told police he did not realize the tub drain was plugged when he left the room. 

 

Attempts to revive the baby were unsuccessful, and Coffel was arrested and formally charged on August 10, 2023.