An American mother, charged with drugging and killing two of her children before escaping to London, has faced another setback in her legal bid to avoid extradition.
Kimberlee Singler, 36, is sought by authorities in Colorado Springs for the alleged first-degree murders of her daughter, Elianna, aged nine, and her son, Aden, aged seven, on December 19, 2023.
She also faces accusations of attempting to murder her third child, who was 11 years old at the time.
Police responded to a reported burglary at an apartment in the city’s northeast around 12:30 a.m. Upon arrival, officers discovered Singler and her surviving daughter next to the lifeless bodies of her other children.
However, subsequent investigations revealed that the burglary claim and initial 911 call were baseless.
Amid a contentious divorce, Singler fled approximately 5,000 miles to the UK. She evaded capture for several days before the National Crime Agency (NCA) apprehended her in Kensington, West London, on December 30, 2023.
She jetted to the UK ‘knowing exactly what was going to happen’, according to a judge at a court hearing in January 2024, where it was decided to remand her in custody because she is considered a flight risk.
However Singler appealed against her extradition on the grounds that if convicted, she would face a life sentence without the option for parole – a potential breach of her European human rights.
A High Court judge ruled on Thursday that Kimberlee Singler should be extradited to the US
Singler’s daughter Elianna ‘Elie’ Wentz (pictured left), 9 and Aden Wentz (pictured right), 7
Police were called to reports of a burglary at an apartment in the northeast of the city, where officers found Singler and her still-living daughter lying next to the bodies of the children
Now in the latest development, a High Court judge ruled on Thursday in favour of her being returned to the US to stand trial, KOAA News reported.
The judge also deemed that she should be extradited.
Her lawyer had claimed there were ‘flaws’ in the investigation by Colorado Springs Police, including that her surviving daughter’s witness statement was ‘non-voluntary’.
It is unclear when Singler could be sent back to the US.
At the time of the incident, Singler was involved in a lengthy custody battle with her ex-husband, Kevin Wentz and was just days away from losing her children.
Two days before the crimes, she had been due to hand them over to Wentz for the holidays, but had refused to let his sister pick them up.
Singler has denied that she harmed her children. She told police her ex-husband had either carried out the killings or hired a hitman.
On the day of the incident, she told officials that an intruder had entered the apartment that morning through a patio door she had forgotten to lock before attacking her, causing her to lose consciousness.
Singler was involved in a lengthy custody battle at the time of the incident with her ex-husband, Kevin Wentz, and was just days away from losing the children
Singler told officials that an intruder had entered the apartment that morning through a patio door she had forgotten to lock, before being attacked and losing consciousness
Singler has denied that she harmed her children. She told police that her ex-husband had either carried out the killings or hired a hitman
Police said they found no footprints in the snow leading to the patio.
The mother had superficial knife wounds and was initially treated as a victim.
But that changed after her surviving daughter, who initially told police a similar intruder story, said Singler had tried to kill her.
While the accused had initially cooperated with police, she vanished, triggering a US-wide hunt.
She was arrested by NCA officers in London for offences including two counts of murder and one of attempted murder.
Singler is also accused of two counts of class two felony child abuse, one of class three felony child abuse, and one of assault.
She has no real ties to the UK, the court previously heard. Her case has raised questions about how she managed to leave the US and enter the UK while wanted for murder.
