An American woman accused of killing her two youngest children in Colorado last December is fighting extradition to the United States in a London court. Kimberlee Singler told her 11-year-old daughter who survived the attack that God made her do it. Singler denies attacking her children and is concerned that her daughter’s statement to police was coerced. Her defense attorney argued that Singler should not be extradited because she would face life without parole in Colorado, violating European human rights law.
Singler, 36, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder for shooting and stabbing her 9-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son, and one count of attempted murder for harming her older daughter. Her defense attorney, Edward Fitzgerald, argued that a life without parole sentence would be inhuman as it offers no prospect for release even if she is rehabilitated. Despite the possibility of sentence commutation by a Colorado governor, Fitzgerald presented evidence that this had not been done before and would be political suicide.
During the extradition hearing, it was revealed that former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper had commuted first-degree murder sentences of six men in 2018, contradicting the argument that Singler would never have a chance for release. The hearing was adjourned to allow lawyers to confirm this information. Singler, who acknowledged the adjournment, remains in custody. The extradition hearing focused on legal issues, including Singler’s custody battle with her ex-husband, Kevin Wentz, and events leading up to the killings.
At the time of the killings, Singler had refused to turn over her children to her ex-husband, who had been awarded more time with them. Singler made an emergency call to police, resulting in the discovery of her two youngest children dead in their apartment. Singler claimed a ‘dark figure’ had entered her apartment, but her ex-husband had an alibi. Her surviving daughter initially told police a man had attacked them, but later revealed that her mother was responsible and had coerced her into lying. The daughter also reported that Singler told her that God wanted her to kill the children.
DNA tests confirmed that the weapons used in the attacks contained a mixture of blood matching Singler and her children. An empty bottle of sleeping pills was found in the house. Singler fled to London following the revelations by her surviving daughter and an arrest warrant was issued. She was apprehended in a posh neighborhood in Chelsea, four days later. The case has garnered international attention due to the horrific nature of the crimes and the legal implications of extradition and sentencing.
