Kimberlee Singler, a 36-year-old American mother, faces extradition to the United States from the UK following a London judge’s ruling. Singler is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of her two youngest children, a 9-year-old daughter and a 7-year-old son, and attempted murder of her 11-year-old daughter. The children were found in their Colorado Springs apartment in December 2023, having suffered both stab wounds and gunshot injuries. Singler also faces multiple counts of child abuse and assault. Her extradition sets the stage for a trial in Colorado, where she could potentially face life imprisonment without parole if convicted.
Singler’s legal team fought against the extradition, arguing that a life sentence without parole would violate European human rights laws due to its irreversible nature and lack of any prospect for release, even in the event of rehabilitation. They contended that while a Colorado governor theoretically has the power to commute such a sentence, it would be politically untenable to do so, effectively rendering the possibility meaningless. The defense initially claimed that no such sentence had ever been commuted in Colorado, but the prosecution presented evidence of five commutations by Governor John Hickenlooper in 2018. However, the defense countered that these cases were distinguishable: three did not involve life without parole sentences, and the remaining two involved offenders aged 18-21, where youth is often considered a mitigating factor.
Despite the defense’s arguments, Judge John Zani ruled that the existence of a theoretical mechanism for release, however unlikely, was sufficient to comply with human rights standards. He stated that he was satisfied that the defense had not met the necessary threshold to block extradition based on the potential sentence. This decision clears the way for the British government to order Singler’s return to Colorado to face trial. The defense has indicated their intention to appeal the ruling to the High Court, further delaying the extradition process.
The details surrounding the tragic events in December 2023 paint a disturbing picture. Singler was involved in a custody dispute with her ex-husband, who had recently been granted increased parenting time. Two days before the children’s deaths, Singler refused to hand them over to her husband’s sister for the holidays, despite a court order requiring her to do so. She was staying with her mother at the time of the incident, but her mother was away. Upon the discovery of the children’s bodies, Singler initially claimed to be a victim, alleging an intruder had entered the apartment and attacked both her and the children. She presented herself with superficial wounds and told police that she had lost consciousness during the attack, only to awaken later and find her children dead or injured.
However, Singler’s surviving daughter, who initially corroborated her mother’s story about an intruder, later recanted her statement. The girl revealed to police that her mother had given the children milk laced with a powdery substance, instructed them to close their eyes, and then led them into a bedroom where the attacks took place. She described her mother slashing her throat and then attacking her again, saying God was instructing her to do so and claiming their father would take them away. The girl’s testimony, coupled with the lack of evidence supporting Singler’s intruder narrative (such as footprints in the snow), led police to shift their focus to Singler as the primary suspect.
When police sought to arrest Singler on December 26th, she had already fled the country. She was subsequently located and apprehended four days later in London’s Chelsea neighborhood. Singler maintains her innocence, claiming her ex-husband was responsible for the deaths, either directly or by hiring someone. She alleged that he had harbored fantasies of killing his family and had a history of attempting to frame her and have her children taken away. However, police investigations revealed that her ex-husband had a solid alibi, supported by GPS data showing he was driving a truck approximately 80 miles away at the time of the incident. The Colorado Springs Police Department is continuing its investigation and working toward the case’s conclusion, preparing for Singler’s eventual return to the US.
