An American woman, who is accused of killing her two children in Colorado last December, claimed that god made her do it.
Kimberlee Singler, at London Court fighting extradition to the US, has denied attacking her children. The prosecutor Joel Smith revealed that Singler told her surviving 11-year-old daughter that God had instructed her to commit the crime.
The girl pleaded for her life, but Singler allegedly stabbed her again despite her plea for mercy.
Singler is fighting extradition to the United States, with her defense attorney, Edward Fitzgerald, arguing that she should not be extradited because a conviction for first-degree murder in Colorado would result in a sentence of life without parole, which violates European human rights law. Fitzgerald also raised concerns about the possibility of the 11-year-old’s statement to police being coerced.
The hearing, which was primarily focused on the legal issues surrounding extradition, revealed additional details about the case. At the time of the killings, Singler was involved in a custody battle with her ex-husband, Kevin Wentz, and had failed to turn the children over to him as ordered by the court. The two youngest children, Aden Wentz, 7, and Elianna “Ellie” Wentz, 9, were found dead in their apartment, having been shot and stabbed.
Initially, Singler claimed that a “dark figure” had entered her apartment and attacked the children, but her surviving daughter later told a caretaker that Singler was responsible and had asked her to lie to police. The girl said that Singler gave the children milk with a powdery medicine and told them that God was telling her to do it, as their father would take them away. DNA tests on the weapons found a mixture of blood matching the children and their mother, and an empty bottle of sleeping pills was also discovered in the house.
The hearing was adjourned until December 2 to allow lawyers to confirm a news report about the commutation of first-degree murder sentences by former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper and to provide further arguments.
Kimberlee Singler, at London Court fighting extradition to the US, has denied attacking her children. The prosecutor Joel Smith revealed that Singler told her surviving 11-year-old daughter that God had instructed her to commit the crime.
The girl pleaded for her life, but Singler allegedly stabbed her again despite her plea for mercy.
Singler is fighting extradition to the United States, with her defense attorney, Edward Fitzgerald, arguing that she should not be extradited because a conviction for first-degree murder in Colorado would result in a sentence of life without parole, which violates European human rights law. Fitzgerald also raised concerns about the possibility of the 11-year-old’s statement to police being coerced.
The hearing, which was primarily focused on the legal issues surrounding extradition, revealed additional details about the case. At the time of the killings, Singler was involved in a custody battle with her ex-husband, Kevin Wentz, and had failed to turn the children over to him as ordered by the court. The two youngest children, Aden Wentz, 7, and Elianna “Ellie” Wentz, 9, were found dead in their apartment, having been shot and stabbed.
Initially, Singler claimed that a “dark figure” had entered her apartment and attacked the children, but her surviving daughter later told a caretaker that Singler was responsible and had asked her to lie to police. The girl said that Singler gave the children milk with a powdery medicine and told them that God was telling her to do it, as their father would take them away. DNA tests on the weapons found a mixture of blood matching the children and their mother, and an empty bottle of sleeping pills was also discovered in the house.
The hearing was adjourned until December 2 to allow lawyers to confirm a news report about the commutation of first-degree murder sentences by former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper and to provide further arguments.