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Pennsylvania Mother Charged With Third-Degree Murder After Fire Killed Her 3 Children

Prosecutors say she left the children for about 50 minutes to facilitate a drug transaction.

Overview

  • Danozjna Shalita Marjie Williams, arrested May 6, remains jailed without bail after a May 8 arraignment, with a preliminary hearing set for May 28.
  • Investigators say Williams left the Erie apartment to facilitate a drug transaction and was gone for about 50 minutes when the fire started.
  • The March 29 fire killed her children, with two dying that day and a third dying April 3 after being flown to a Pittsburgh hospital.
  • Authorities believe the blaze began in the second-floor kitchen, and court records say a mattress and a couch blocked key entry points for firefighters; the exact cause is still under review.
  • After the deaths, a GoFundMe launched by a family friend passed $15,000 to help cover the children’s burial costs.