Background: Erie Fire Department firefighters battle a blaze at 535 1/2 East 26th Street in Erie, Pennsylvania (Erie Firefighters IAFF Local 293). Inset: Danozjna Shalita Marjie Williams (Erie News Now).
In Pennsylvania, a mother has been charged following a tragic incident where her children perished in a fire. Authorities report that the woman had left her kids unattended while she made what she claimed was a brief trip to Walmart.
Twenty-two-year-old Danozjna Shalita Marjie Williams is facing numerous charges, including three counts each of criminal homicide, endangering the welfare of children, and aggravated assault. As noted in court documents accessed by Law&Crime, she is currently being held without bail at Erie County Prison.
The unfortunate event took place on the afternoon of March 29. Williams’ children were in their residence at 535 1/2 East 26th Street in Erie, Pennsylvania, while she was absent, according to the Erie County District Attorney’s Office reported.
The blaze ignited while Williams allegedly left her children alone, as stated by the prosecution. They claim she was away for about 50 minutes to conduct a drug deal, according to the DA’s office.
The Erie Fire Department was alerted to the inferno around 4:30 p.m., with the fire being particularly intense on the building’s second floor. Photos shared by Erie Firefighters IAFF Local 293 depict flames engulfing windows and the building’s structure.
Firefighters encountered “exceptionally difficult conditions,” according to the union. Entry was hindered by a mattress obstructing a stairwell and a couch blocking a door at the top of the stairs, making their task even more challenging.
When the rescuers were able to get inside, they found three kids inside a bedroom with no adults present, Erie News Now reported. Two of them — identified in court records as T.H. and D.H. — were pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. A third child, referred to as A-A-M, was flown to a children’s hospital and died on April 3.
According to authorities, Williams got to the home in a black Dodge Charger about 20 minutes after firefighters arrived. Her landlord had reportedly called her and inquired, “Where are you, your house is on fire.”
The defendant is said to have told authorities that her brother was supposed to be watching the children and that she had just left the home for roughly five minutes to get blinds at Walmart. However, investigators say they found surveillance video showing her leaving the home at 4:01 p.m. and not returning until 4:51 p.m., and there was no sign of her at the two area Walmarts in that time frame.
Williams was actually leaving the city and driving southeast to Corry, Pennsylvania, to sell about $300 worth of heroin or fentanyl, authorities said. They also alleged that the mother had left her children unattended before.
“This is a heartbreaking, but completely preventable tragedy,” Erie County District Attorney Elizabeth Hirz said. “The evidence shows these young children were left without supervision in a situation where they needed their mother to protect them and keep them safe.”
“That duty was abandoned, with devastating consequences,” she added.
The fire started in the second-floor kitchen, the local news service reported. The cause of the fire is not yet clear.
Williams is due to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on May 28.
