US Mom Accused of Killing Kids Will Be Extradited From UK

A British judge has rejected an American woman’s legal challenge to avoid extradition to the U.S., where she faces charges of killing two of her children and attempting to kill a third.

Why It Matters

Kimberlee Singler, 36, is accused of murder, attempted murder and three counts of child abuse in connection with the deaths of her children, 9-year-old Elianna and 7-year-old Aden, at a Colorado Springs apartment in December 2023. The family had been staying with her Singler’s mother while she fought a custody battle with her ex-husband, Kevin Wentz.

Prosecutors say she “fled” to the U.K. after being treated as a victim and was apprehended 11 days later in Chelsea, West London. A third child, her 11-year-old daughter, survived after being slashed with a knife.

Newsweek has contacted Singler’s attorney for comment via email outside normal business hours.

What To Know

The ruling by Judge John Zani at Westminster Magistrates Court clears the way for the British government to order Singler’s return to America.

Details of the case––corroborated by the surviving child––suggest that Singler gave her children milk mixed with an unknown powder and led them into a bedroom. There, prosecutors allege she fatally shot and stabbed two of the children and attacked the third with a knife.

Singler initially told police that an intruder was responsible for the attack.

She told police that her ex-husband “had previously dreamt about killing his family, that the children’s father was always trying to ‘frame her’ and ‘get her arrested’ and to have the kids taken away from her,” Zani said in his ruling.

Her surviving daughter initially supported the claims but later told her new foster parents that her mother was the attacker and had asked her to lie.

What Evidence Links Singler To Killings?

Singler had superficial knife wounds and was initially treated as a victim at the scene.

Police found DNA evidence linking Singler to the crime scene. A handgun and knife used in the attack contained mixed DNA profiles of Singler and her children. Her insistence that Wentz was linked to the crime was refuted when GPS data confirmed he was more than 80 miles away at the time, police said.

Her lawyers argued that extradition would violate her rights under European human rights law, calling the prospect of a life sentence without parole inhumane. However, prosecutors countered that Colorado law allows for the possibility of commutation, which the judge found sufficient.

What People Are Saying

Edward Fitzgerald, Kimberlee Singler’s defense attorney, said her extradition would lead to her serving an inhumane sentence, as there is “no real prospect of release no matter what progress she makes.” Fitzgerald said that despite an option for a Colorado governor to commute her sentence at some point, it would be “political suicide” to do so.

Judge John Zani at Westminster Magistrates Court: “I am satisfied that the defendant has failed to vault the hurdle necessary in order to succeed in the challenges raised.”

What Happens Next

The ruling sends the case to U.K. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper for final approval. She will decide whether Singler will be sent back to the U.S. Fitzgerald plans to appeal the judge’s decision as well as any subsequent decision by the home secretary. Meanwhile, her surviving daughter, who remains in foster care, is expected to be a key witness if a trial commences in El Paso County, Colorado.

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.