An English attorney representing a Colorado woman accused of killing her two young children in December 2023 is arguing against her extradition from the United Kingdom back to the United States. Kimberlee Singler, 36, was taken into custody by U.K. authorities on Dec. 30, 2023, following allegations by Colorado authorities that she killed her 9-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son, and injured her 11-year-old daughter before fleeing overseas.
Her attorney, Edward Fitzgerald, Kings Counsel (KC), known for representing Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange, contends that extraditing Singler to the U.S. would violate the European Convention of Human Rights due to the lack of parole eligibility if convicted. The extradition decision is pending with Judge John Zani expected to rule on Jan. 24.
Singler faces charges including four counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder, three counts of child abuse, and one count of assault. Joel Smith, KC, representing the U.S. in the extradition case, alleged that Singler committed the crimes amid a custody battle with her husband.
During the investigation, Colorado authorities discovered spent rounds, a blood-stained knife, and empty sleeping pill bottles at the crime scene. Police found the deceased children in bed together after responding to a 911 call initially reported as a burglary but later deemed false.
Smith stated that Singler instructed her children to close their eyes before attacking them, resulting in fatal injuries to two and severe lacerations to the third. He argued that clemency could be an option in the U.S. if Singler receives a life sentence without parole, a concept unfamiliar in the U.K. where only 63 individuals were serving such sentences compared to 49,000 in the U.S.