Video: Mom Talks to Mich. Police Officer after Allegedly Starting Deadly Fire

By Mike Stunson

Source The Charlotte Observer

A mother is accused of intentionally starting a fire that resulted in the death of her 12-year-old daughter, Michigan authorities say, calling the case “unimaginably horrific.”

“To put it lightly, and that’s saying something, this is a shockingly cruel, unimaginable crime committed by a mom against her three kids,” Grand Rapids Police Department Chief Eric Winstrom said during a Monday, Jan. 27, news briefing streamed by WZZM.

Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker said the children’s mother, 46-year-old Roconda Singleton, faces three counts of second-degree child abuse and one count of arson following the Jan. 25 fire. The charges were announced hours before the death of Singleton’s 12-year-old daughter, Shamiya Stewart, and Becker said additional charges could be possible.

Shamiya was taken off life support around 8 p.m. Monday, according to WOOD and WZZM. Loved ones said in a GoFundMe she suffered burns to more than 30% of her body.

“She ain’t deserve this at all. She’s a good child. She’s my special baby,” Lyn Stewart, Shamiya’s father, told WOOD. Police said the father did not live in the home.

Authorities said Singleton “meticulously” removed all seven smoke detectors in the home. She then poured lighter fluid both upstairs and downstairs “in an attempt to kill her three children.”

The smoke detectors were later found in a pillowcase in the home’s backyard, according to court documents obtained by WXMI. The police chief said they could be heard beeping upon their discovery.

Body cam footage shows Singleton outside the home as firefighters battled the massive blaze. She said one of her daughters — Shamiya — was still inside.

Shamiya was unconscious when a firefighter removed her from the home, police said. Her siblings, who WOOD reported are ages 10 and 7, were also rescued, suffering non-fatal injuries.

“I did it. I am not going to sit here and play like I am the victim,” Singleton told officers at the scene, WXMI reported.

Winstrom said he “cannot fathom any motive at all” in the case. He said the mother did not show “concern you’d expect from a mom whose children were in danger.”

Grand Rapids Fire Department Chief Brad Brown said 42 firefighters responded to the scene. They included four teams searching for the victims and two crews battling the blaze.

Shamiya was known as a “fighter” from day one, loved ones said in the GoFundMe.

“Shamiya was born weighing less than two pounds and spent the first four months of her life in the NICU,” according to the GoFundMe. “She grew to be a loving young lady who loved music, loved to dance, and loved her electronics. Shamiya also loved her dad and her siblings. She was truly a daddy’s girl.”

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