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The woman's 10-year-old daughter saved her little sister from the fire, but the oldest, just 12 years old, perished from the blaze as the mother allegedly stood outside ... watching and hearing their screams.
"I did it," a 46-year-old mother allegedly told police in Grand Rapids, Michigan when asked about them finding her standing by as her house was fully engulfed in flames at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday morning. "I am not going to sit here and play like I am the victim," she reportedly added.
This was Roconda Singleton's response after initially telling them, "I do not know," when asked how her house came to be on fire with her three daughters inside. She told them she'd tried to save the girls but burned her face, per local CBS affiliate WWMT.
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View StoryOn Wednesday, Kent County prosecutors formally charged Singleton with felony murder for the death of her oldest daughter, as reported by local Fox affiliate WXMI. Shamiya Stewart, 12, was trapped inside the house with her two younger sisters when it was set ablaze.
One day prior, Singleton had been arraigned on one count of first degree arson and three counts of second degree child abuse.
Despite her alleged confession to police at the scene, Singleton reportedly pleaded not guilty to these charges in court. She has not yet been arraigned on the murder charge.
Singleton's House Fire
According to court documents seen by the news station, Singleton told police how she'd planned the fire, intentionally timing the blaze for when she knew her three girls would be asleep in the home on Saturday morning.
Singleton told police that she first removed the seven fire detectors in their home, per the court documents, stuffing them into a pillowcase that was later recovered in the backyard with the alarms still sounding, so that the girls would stay asleep longer as the house burned.
She then allegedly doused around the home, as well as inside several of the rooms, per police, before starting the fire in the second floor bathroom and on a couch in the living room.
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View StoryHer alleged intentions, according to police documents, were to "die with her three daughters so they could be free," as recorded in court documents.
Yet, per the court filings, Singleton told police she stood outside the home and watched as it started to catch fire and the girls woke up and started screaming inside.
The woman's 10-year-old daughter managed to help her 7-year-old sister get out of the house through the front door, and then ran to a neighbor's house for help, per WXMI.
The oldest sister was not able to get out of the house, with Singleton seen on bodycam footage telling first responders one of her children was still inside. Stewart was ultimately rescued by firefighters from a second story window.
She died on Monday, after two days in intensive care, according to The New York Post. The younger sisters were taken to the hospital but only suffered minor injuries.
"This is a shockingly cruel, unimaginable crime committed by a mom against her three kids," said Grand Rapids Police Department Chief Eric Winstrom in a press conference on Monday, after Stewart's death. He said he "cannot fathom any motive" for Singleton's alleged actions.
"This is a mom who tried to murder her three beautiful daughters," Winstrom said.
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View StorySingleton's 10-year-old daughter has also spoken up about the fire, telling NBC affiliate WOOD, "I want to say that she should be locked up for life for killing my sister. I want to know, why did she have to do that to her? She didn’t deserve that."
Court documents revealed that Singleton had previously gone through mental health treatment, and was admitted to a mental health facility in August. She admitted to police, per the court filings, to struggling with her mental health, saying she'd been unable to get any help last year.
For the felony murder charge alone, Singleton could be looking at a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. The arson charge could also bring life, while a guilty charge on each child abuse count could see up to 10 years in prison.
Bond has been set for $500,000, with Singleton's next court appearance set for February 11.
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