Left inset: Roconda Singleton (Kent County Sheriff’s Office). Right inset: Roconda Singleton’s daughter Shamiya Stewart (GoFundMe). Background: Bodycam video from the Grand Rapids Police Department showing the house fire that killed 12-year-old Shamiya Stewart (WOOD/YouTube).
In a tragic case from Michigan, a mother accused of setting her home on fire with her children inside, resulting in the death of her 12-year-old daughter, has been declared fit to stand trial. This decision comes after she was previously found incompetent on two occasions.
Roconda Singleton, 46, residing in Grand Rapids, was deemed competent on Tuesday. This follows earlier determinations in May and August that she was not fit for trial, as reported by MLive.com. The presiding judge acknowledged Singleton’s ongoing mental health challenges and confirmed she is actively receiving treatment while incarcerated, awaiting trial for the incident that occurred in January. Details were further corroborated by WZZM, a local ABC affiliate.
The competency report from October 16 highlighted that Singleton could comprehend her charges and grasp the potential outcomes, along with the legal proceedings, according to WZZM’s coverage.
“Based on the issued report, the court finds the defendant competent to stand trial,” declared the judge from Kent County.
The judge also noted, “[Singleton will] continue to receive medication to maintain her competency.”
The charges against Singleton include the alleged deliberate removal of all seven smoke detectors from her residence before soaking it in lighter fluid and igniting it. According to Grand Rapids Police Department officials, her intention was reportedly to end her own life along with her three children in the blaze.
“I want to say that she should be locked up for life for killing my sister,” Singleton’s 10-year-old daughter, who survived, told local NBC affiliate WOOD in January after her 12-year-old sibling, Shamiya Stewart, died from injuries suffered in the fire.
“Everybody was trying to save my mom and she just wanted to lay down on her bed while her room was lighted up with fire,” the child said. “And she did not want to go but she finally came out. She wouldn’t tell where [Shamiya] was, so I had to keep leading them to my sister.”
Singleton, who is charged with first-degree arson and three counts of second-degree child abuse, allegedly set her house on fire after placing the smoke detectors in her backyard. More than 40 firefighters from 13 different units responded to the blaze as it tore through Singleton’s home “very rapidly,” according to local officials.
“This is a mom that meticulously took all seven of her smoke detectors and put them in a bag and removed them from the house before she poured lighter fluid all over the house and lit it on fire in an attempt to kill her three children,” Grand Rapids Police Department Chief Eric Winstrom told reporters.
“I think she covered the couch in lighter fluid,” Winstrom added. “That’s a pretty effective way to start a fire.”
Singleton’s 10-year-old was hailed as a “hero” after the attack, with cops saying she was able to get her other surviving sibling out, along with Shamiya, after alerting first responders to where they were located inside the residence.
“We just thank God for her quick thinking,” cousin Patricia Robinson, who launched a GoFundMe for the family, told WOOD.
Shamiya suffered burns over 30% of her body and smoke inhalation, which led to her death two days later. Her father described her as a “fighter” while speaking to WOOD before she passed away.
“She [didn’t] deserve this at all,” said Lyn Stewart, Shamiya’s dad. “She’s a good child. She’s my special baby. She was in the NICU (as a baby) for four months. It’s hard. … It’s hard for me. Just keep the family in prayer, please. That’s all I can say.”
Speaking to WOOD after Shamiya’s death, Singleton’s 10-year-old daughter asked, “I want to know, why did she have to do that to her?”
Singleton faces up to life in prison if convicted.
