Colorado mother accused of drugging and killing two of her children can be extradited from the UK, court rules

LONDON — Kimberlee Singler, the Colorado mother accused of drugging and then killing two of her children before fleeing to the United Kingdom, has been told by a British court that she can be extradited home to stand trial.

Singler silently and emotionlessly attended a brief hearing on Friday at Westminster Magistrates Court in central London, where his challenge to a US extradition order was dismissed by District Judge John Zani.

However, the case will now be reviewed by UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, who has the final say on some high-profile extradition cases.

And Singler intends to appeal the decision to the British Supreme Court, and then possibly to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, further delaying his return. She faces life in prison if convicted.

Singler, 36, was arrested in London on December 30, 2023, days after the bodies of her children, ages 7 and 9, were found in her Colorado Springs home.

She is accused of shooting and stabbing them, as well as injuring a third child who survived and told police of her ordeal. She was indicted in absentia on seven counts, including two first-degree murders.

Singler’s legal team had resisted extradition on the grounds that she denied the charges and that she would face a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, which is considered cruel and unusual punishment according to the European human rights law.

Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights – a legally binding law followed by 46 countries, including the UK – prohibits “inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”.

But in a written judgment, Zani said he was satisfied that his extradition would be lawful because there was a “functional control mechanism in the form of an executive pardon”, meaning that, although highly unlikely, the Colorado governor could choose to pardon. her.

The judge said he “firmly believes that the defendant’s extradition to the United States of America to face criminal prosecution is consistent” with her constitutional rights. Singler has 14 days to appeal.

Westminster Magistrates Court heard graphic details of his alleged crimes in a series of hearings over the past year, during which Singler’s lawyer argued with the British government’s lawyer over the legality of his extradition.

Edward Fitzgerald, Singler’s attorney, said she is “doing very well” in prison, where she remains at the moment.