JOSIAH and GABRIEL HAWTHORNE - 2 and 1 yo - Charlotte NC

The mother of two unsupervised toddlers killed in a west Charlotte
house fire early Sunday was arrested and charged with murder and felony
child abuse.
After a day of searching,
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police arrested Orgal Paulette Opata, 26, after
she left her four children alone at the home on Rowan Street, in the
Thomasboro community. One-year-old son, Gabriel Hawthorne, and his
two-year-old brother, Josiah Hawthorne, died in the fire that destroyed
the home.
She was charged with two counts of murder, three
counts of reckless/gross felony child abuse, exposing a child to fire
and one count of burning resulting in serious injury to a firefighter.
Her two older children, a four-year-old son and seven-year-old daughter, survived the fire after they were helped by a neighbor.
Fire
investigators sifted through the rubble all day, but by evening still
weren’t saying what caused the blaze. Firefighters from station 13, two
blocks away, said they responded quickly and took only 19 minutes to
put out the blaze. When they arrived, neighbors told them about the
children inside. They said they aggressively entered the home, but
couldn’t save the two toddlers.
One firefighter was burned, treated at a local hospital and released.
A neighbor, Elizabeth Lane, awoke early Sunday and said she heard screams: “Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!.”
She
looked out her apartment window and saw the house across Rowan Street
in flames. Lane called 911, then quickly dressed and ran to the house.
At
the front door, she found the two older children. The 7-year-old girl
tugged at Lane, screaming her younger brothers, Josiah and Gabriel,
were still in the back.
“I walked into the house and the
flames shot up like someone had poured gasoline on them,” Lane said. “I
got the two older children out. By then, the firefighters were there
and I took the children to my apartment.”
In 2007, Opata
was convicted in Greensboro of possessing cocaine, and sentenced to at
least six months in jail. Six years earlier, she was convicted of
embezzlement, also in Greensboro, and sentenced to six to eight months.
Last
October, Opata was charged in Charlotte with contributing to the
delinquency of a juvenile and was awaiting trial before Sunday’s arrest.
William Smith, who lives next door, described Opata as “a good mother.”
“If
she had to go to work, I’d see her getting on the bus with the children
to take them to daycare,” Smith said. “If they were outside, she was
always on the porch keeping a watch on them. Or if she had to be away,
a friend would come pick them up or stay with the kids until she got
home.”
Smith, who has five children, said he was awakened by his 13-year-old son. He looked out his bedroom window and saw flames.
“By the time I saw it, the fire department was already there,” he said. “I just made sure my kids and house were OK.”
Juanita
Edwards, a next door neighbor, said her husband, David, woke her around
6 a.m. and reported the house was on fire. By the time she looked out
the window, firefighters were battling the blaze.
Edwards said Opata and her children had lived in the house for about a year.
“I
don’t really know them, except to wave to the children when I see
them,” she said. “This is so sad. Those two kids were so young.”

The mother of two unsupervised toddlers who died in a Charlotte house fire on Sunday was charged last fall with neglect in connection
with leaving three young children home alone, according to Mecklenburg
court records.
Orgal Paulette Opata was charged with child
neglect in the Oct. 27 incident, after a passerby brought two-year-old
Josiah Hawthorne to a fire station about 5 p.m. and told authorities
the child was in the street wearing a T-shirt and a diaper. The person
also said a four-year-old was at the same house, on the front porch.
Firefighters
went to the house on Rowan Street in the Thomasboro community, found
Elisa Morgan, 4, and also discovered 9-month-old Gabriel Hawthorne
lying on a bed face down with a wet diaper.
Opata, who
returned to the house shortly, was charged then with three counts of
neglect of juveniles “left alone locked in (a) room without adult
supervision.” Opata told police, according to records, that she had
left the house for a short time to pick up her older daughter at nearby
Thomasboro Elementary. The case was scheduled for court this month.
Sunday,
Josiah Hawthorne and Gabriel Hawthorne died in a 6 a.m. fire at the
house on Rowan Street. Neighbors helped rescue two older children, a
4-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter. Opata wasn’t home and police
spent hours searching for her. Charges against Opata include two counts
of murder and three counts of reckless/gross felony child abuse.

CHARLOTTE,NC - -- A mother
charged with murder after two of her children died in a house fire is expected
in court this week.
Police said Orgal Opata left her four children home alone
Sunday morning. A fire broke out, killing her two youngest sons. Neighbors
helped the two oldest children, ages 4 and 7, escape.
Family friend Diane Wilson was back at the scene of the
fire today.
"It bring tears to my eyes knowing I played with the
babies, been in their house, and brought them Christmas presents,” she said.
Wilson said she and her sisters would also try to babysit
for Opata if she needed them to. Court documents reveal Opata
had a case pending in court for leaving three of her children home alone in
another instance.
Last October, police were called to a fire station near
Opata's home after someone dropped off a 2- year-old boy there. According to an
arrest affidavit, the boy was found in the street. The anonymous person who
found the boy led police and firefighters to Opata's home, where they found a
4-year-old on the front porch and a 9-month-old face down on a bed wearing a wet
diaper.
Opata arrived at the home and told police she went to
Thomasboro Elementary to pick up her oldest daughter. She admitted to leaving
the other three children home alone in a bedroom. The Department of Social
Services may have gotten involved with Opata and her children after the
October incident, but they couldn't release that information due to privacy
laws.
Opata is due in court Tuesday on charges stemming from
the fire. She has a court date of March 5 for the neglect charges from October
2009.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police have not said where Opata
was during Sunday morning's fire.

CHARLOTTE, NC - -- A Charlotte mother charged with murder after two of her
children died in a house fire is being held on a $1 million bond.
Multiple media outlets reported bond was set Orgal Opata, 26, during a brief
court hearing Tuesday. Mecklenburg County District Court Judge Regan Miller
ordered that an attorney be appointed to represent her.
One-year-old Gabriel Hawthorne and 2-year-old Josiah Hawthorne died in the
fire Sunday that destroyed the house in Charlotte. Two older children, ages 4
and 7, escaped.
Police say Opata left her children home alone but haven't yet said where she
was. Fire department officials say a kerosene heater in a bedroom sparked the
fire.
Opata turned herself in to police, but investigators say she has refused to
be interviewed by detectives.
She faces two counts of murder, three counts of reckless/gross felony child
abuse, four counts of exposing a child to fire and one count of burning
resulting in serious injury to a firefighter.
Opata has a previous criminal record, including a child neglect charge that
accused her of leaving three of her children home alone. A passer-by reported
finding one child in the street and took the child to a fire station last fall.
A hearing was set for Friday in that case.
She also was convicted in 2007 in Greensboro for possessing cocaine and was
sentenced to at least six months in jail. Six years earlier, she was convicted
of larceny by employee in Greensboro and sentenced to six to eight months.
Jerry Hawthorne, the father of the children who died, said he wants custody
of the two older children, who are in the care of the Department of Social
Services.
Court records show Hawthorne has been convicted of multiple drug offenses in
Guilford County since 2000. Those cases included convictions for maintaining a
place to sell drugs and possession with intent to sell marijuana and
cocaine.
He served about nine months on drug charges, then was released from prison in
2008. He is awaiting trial on a charge of violating his probation by leaving the
county.
Hawthorne also was charged in Mecklenburg in 2008 with contributing to the
delinquency of a juvenile, but that case was dismissed last year and details of
the case are no longer available.

A vigil was held Friday night for two children who were killed in a tragic house fire in Charlotte early Sunday morning.
Dozens gathered in front of the home where the children died at 920 Rowan Street.
Orgal Opata, the mother of the two toddlers, appeared in court for
the first time on Tuesday and a judge gave her a $1 million bond. When
Opata heard the amount, she swayed back and nearly fainted. Bailiffs
rushed to her side.
Opata is accused of leaving her four children alone in their home.
Charlotte fire investigators say a kerosene heater sparked the blaze.
Josiah, 2, and his one-year-old brother Gabriel Hawthorne died in
the fire, while their older siblings made it out safely. The 4-year-old
little boy and his 7-year-old sister are now in foster care.
Court records show Opata's parental rights have been revoked.
On Friday, March 5, the Mecklenburg County Department of Social
Services issued a statement outlining its involvement with Opata and
her children during the past two years.
DSS first learned about the family in June of 2008 after receiving a referral which alleged the children were left unattended.
The children's father, Jerry Hawthorne, was cited for neglect, but that case was later dismissed.
DSS says it conducted a family assessment and provided "sleeping
materials for the children and recommended services for the mother."
They closed the case on August 1, 2008.
On October 27, 2009, DSS received another referral which indicated three of Opata's children were found left alone at home.
According to court papers, a passer-by found Opata's 2-year-old
wandering the street by himself. When police arrived at the home, they
found a 9-month-old face down on the bed in a wet diaper. A 4-year-old
was outside on the porch.
A statement given by Opata said she had just been gone a few minutes
to pick up her oldest child from school. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Police Department charged Opata with child neglect.
DSS says it sent a social worker to the home to check on the safety
of the children. Based on interaction with the family, DSS workers
decided the case should be "...referred for ongoing Family Intervention
protective services."
DSS says a social worker had regular contact with Opata and other
family members. They even referred Opata to community-based services
for her to get assistance in providing for her children. DSS said,
"During this time all information obtained by DSS indicated that the
children were receiving appropriate supervision."
After the tragic fire on Sunday, Feb. 28, which killed two of the
children, DSS field a petition with the Mecklenburg County Juvenile
Court and obtained protective custody of Opata's two children. The
children remain in foster care.
Brett Loftis, with the Council for Children's Rights, said the need
for good foster parents is great. He said placing children with family
is the first priority, but that depends on whether they are deemed
appropriate caregivers.
Donations for funeral expenses for the two children who died in the
fire should be taken to King's Funeral Home, 4000 Beatties Ford Road,
Charlotte. Donations of clothing, toys and supplies for the surviving
children, Miracle and Elisha may be taken there as well.
Miracle (girl) wears size 7-8, size 2 shoes
Elisha (boy) wears size 4-5, medium shirts, 11 shoes
The funeral service will be held Saturday at Chappelle Memorial
Baptist Church, 110 Bradford Drive, Charlotte. A quiet hour will be
held from 11 a.m. - noon, followed by the service from which begins at
noon.

The mother accused of leaving her children home alone last month
when a fire erupted and killed two of them was indicted Monday on
murder charges.
The grand jury also returned indictments charging Orgal Opata,
26, with four counts of exposing children to fire and three counts of
felony child abuse.


The children's grandmother, wearing their photos pinned to her
sweater, was in court Monday for Opata's bond hearing.
"A night out ain't worth all this," Alesia Greene told the
Observer, expressing frustration that Opata's children were left alone,
according to police.
"I don't know where she was...," she said. "She should have been
at home with those babies."
Josiah and Gabriel Hawthorne died Feb. 28 in an early morning
blaze sparked by a kerosene heater in their bedroom while police say
they were unattended at their home on Rowan Street in Charlotte. Josiah
was 2; Gabriel 1.
Their older brother and sister, 4 and 7, were saved by a
neighbor. They were taken into DSS custody.
Police and prosecutors have not disclosed where Opata was at the
time of the fire.
Opata remains jailed on $1 million bond. Monday's hearing to
review the bond was canceled.
Greene vowed to show up in court every time Opata is scheduled to
be there.
"These babies can't speak for themselves," the 48-year-old
grandmother said. "These are my babies."
Mecklenburg's Department of Social Service had worked with Opata
in the past.
She was first reported to social workers in June 2008 on
allegations she had left her young children alone, according to DSS.
Social workers provided sleeping materials for the children and
recommended services for the mother. The case was closed in August 2008.
DSS got involved again last October after three of Opata's
children were found at home alone. A passerby reported discovering
Josiah in the street wearing a T-shirt and diaper. Firefighters went to
the house and found two other children unattended. Opata soon showed up
and explained she'd been picking up her daughter at nearby Thomasboro
Elementary.
Police charged Opata with child neglect. That case is also
pending.
A social worker assigned to the case had regular contact with
Opata and other family members, DSS said. "During this time all
information obtained by DSS indicated that the children were receiving
appropriate supervision."

A Charlotte mother accused of murder was found guilty of child neglect
Friday.Orgal Opata was charged with three counts of child neglect
last October after police said a neighbor found Opata's 2-year-old son,
Josiah, in the street wearing only a T-shirt and diaper.That
neighbor brought the child to a fire department.In court Friday, a
firefighter said the young boy was shivering from the cold that day.Firefighters
and police officers testified that when they went to Opata's house,
they found a 4-year-old on the porch and an infant with a wet diaper
left unattended inside.They described the house as cluttered and
messy.A social worker then testified Opata said she left that day
to pick up her oldest daughter at school, and didn't bring the other
children because "it was raining that day."That incident happened
just four months before a February fire at Opata's home killed two of
the children. The children were home alone at the time of the fire,
police said.She is now charged in their deaths.The judge
sentenced Opata to 90 days in jail on the child neglect charges.However,
she will stay in jail until she goes to court for charges stemming from
the deaths of her two children.Opata's attorney did not want to
comment for this story.