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).
A Pennsylvania mother who left her children home alone before a fire erupted and killed them told investigators that she had just made a quick stop at Walmart, authorities say.
Danozjna Shalita Marjie Williams, 22, faces many charges, including three counts of criminal homicide, three counts of endangering the welfare of children, and three counts of aggravated assault. According to court records reviewed by Law&Crime, she is being held in the Erie County Prison without bail.
It was the late afternoon of March 29, and at least three of Williams” children were at their apartment at 535 1/2 East 26th Street in Erie, Pennsylvania. Williams, however, was not there, the Erie County District Attorney’s Office said.
A fire broke out, with the prosecutorial agency alleging that Williams “had left her children at the home unsupervised” when the blaze erupted. “Police are alleging that Williams was gone for approximately 50 minutes to facilitate a drug transaction,” the DA’s office added.
At about 4:30 p.m., Erie firefighters responded to the home. The fire appeared to be heavily concentrated on the second floor, with photos released by Erie Firefighters IAFF Local 293 showing flames ripping through the windows and foundation.
Firefighters were greeted by “extremely challenging conditions,” the union added. They reportedly found it difficult to get inside because a mattress was in the way of a stairwell and a couch was blocking a door at the top of the stairs.
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.
