An American mum accused of murdering two of her young children during a custody battle has been extradited to the US.
Kimberlee Singler, 37, was arrested in London in December 2023 – just over a week after her nine-year-old daughter and seven-year-old son were found dead at their home in Colorado.
She was initially treated as another victim, having suffered superficial knife wounds, and told police an intruder had attacked the family.
Her account was backed up by her eldest child, an 11-year-old girl, who also survived. But the girl later changed her story, telling investigators her mum said God had made her do it, according to court files.
By the time police went to arrest Singler she was gone.
She was found four days later in west London.
It is unclear why she ended up there.
Singler had claimed a stranger entered the home through an unlocked door and attacked her, causing her to lose consciousness.
She also told police her ex-husband ‘had previously dreamt about killing his family, that the children’s father was always trying to “frame her” and “get her arrested” and to have the kids taken away from her’, Judge John Zani said in a January ruling.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court previously heard that a day before the children’s bodies were found Singler had been ordered to let their dad have custody of them for the holidays.
She had been warned to either hand them over herself or attend a court hearing where the custody exchange could take place.
But on the day of the hearing, Singler asked the judge for a delay so she could ‘gain my bearings’ after the so-called attack.
Police said GPS records showed her ex-husband was 80 miles away when the killings took place.
And they pointed out there were no visible footprints in the snow to suggest an intruder had come inside.
The charges against Singler include two counts of first-degree murder, one of attempted murder, along with three counts of child abuse and one of assault.
Announcing the extradition yesterday, Colorado-based district attorney Michael Allen called it a ‘momentous day’.
‘Kimberlee Singler is back in the United States and is in custody,’ he said.
‘Today marks the first step in the criminal justice process for this defendant and the victims in this case.’
Singler had resisted extradition, with her lawyer Edward Fitzgerald arguing that she faced a sentence of life without parole if convicted of the most serious charges.
Such a punishment would violate European human rights laws, he submitted.
Singler is being held without bond ahead of her first court appearance ‘in the coming days’, he added.
Colorado Springs police chief Adrian Vasquez told reporters: ‘Today really is a significant milestone in this criminal investigation.
‘Singler is accused of committing an unthinkable act… I know these acts have deeply impacted this community, and our hearts remain with the victims.’
Singler had a legal challenge to her extradition from the UK rejected in January and her bid for an appeal was denied in November.
She was arrested in Kensington, west London, by the National Crime Agency on December 30, 2023.
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