Left inset: Taquida Hendrix (WHAM/YouTube). Right inset: Malakai Stovall (GoFundMe). Background: The residence allegedly set ablaze by Taquida Hendrix, resulting in the death of 5-year-old Malakai Stovall (WHAM/YouTube).
A young boy aged five tragically lost his life while resting on the upper floor of his New York residence in what is believed to be an intentional house fire. This week, the alleged perpetrator faces trial, with her sibling poised to testify against her, according to reports.
Facing charges of murder and arson, 31-year-old Taquida Hendrix is accused of orchestrating a fire in Rochester in July 2024 that led to the death of Malakai Stovall. This information comes from prosecutors and the victim’s family, as reported by local ABC affiliate WHAM.
On July 28, around 2 a.m., Stovall’s home was engulfed in flames after Taquida Hendrix, her sister Tiakayla Hendrix, 21, and a third individual, Roy Chambers, allegedly arrived at the scene to intentionally set the fire, intending to retaliate for an earlier incident involving the Hendrixes’ father, as per prosecutors’ claims. The trio reportedly believed that someone connected to the earlier altercation resided there, according to WHAM.
Reportedly, Taquida Hendrix doused the two-story dwelling with gasoline, igniting it while Tiakayla Hendrix and Chambers stood watch. Malakai sustained severe injuries in the fire and succumbed to them in a nearby hospital days later.
“My baby was up there [in the house] for 21 minutes with no heartbeat,” Malakai’s mother, Brianna Akers, told WHAM on July 31.
Both Tiakayla Hendrix and Chambers faced murder and arson charges; however, they accepted plea deals last month on the arson charge in return for their testimonies against Taquida Hendrix, say prosecutors. Although Tiakayla was involved in purchasing the lighter used for the fire ignition, she did not partake in actually starting the blaze.
According to her lawyer, “She certainly did not know there was a child inside that building at the time,” per WHAM. “She had no role in actually setting the fire itself,” the lawyer said.
Karen Mitchell, Malakai’s grandmother, told local media outlets that the family was shocked by the plea deals and expected all three individuals to go on trial.
“I just cried. I mean, it’s very bittersweet,” Mitchell told WHAM. “I want them to understand it wasn’t just, you know, this 5-year-old, or this little boy, who died in a fire; he was a little boy who lived, and he loved life.”
Mitchell added, “These people were the lookouts to make sure no one caught them setting a fire that ended my grandson’s life.”
Taquida Hendrix is currently locked up at the Monroe County Jail as her trial unfolds. Tiakayla Hendrix and Chambers are scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 29.
