Four children left alone; Die in fire (2010) - Fairfield (NE of Oakland) CA

The mothers of four unattended children who died in a Fairfield
apartment fire that was started by a candle atop a TV set have been
charged with manslaughter, prosecutors said Friday.
The Solano County district attorney's office charged 24-year-old
Shetarra James, the mother of three of the children, and 23-year-old
Latisha James, the mother of the other child, with four counts each of
manslaughter and child endangerment, authorities said.
Warrants have been issued for the arrest of the women, who are
sisters.
The four children, ranging in age from 1 to 4, died when their
apartment at 728 Delaware St. downtown caught fire April 28 after a
candle was left burning on the top of a television set, authorities
said. The mothers were in a parking lot outside at the time.
The children were left unattended for about 30 minutes before the
fire broke out, prosecutor Karen Jensen said. Three of them were
strapped into strollers while the fire raged, she said.
"The fire itself was accidental," Jensen said. "It is leaving the
kids unattended with the burning candles that is the issue."
Two other candles were burning in the apartment, which was without
power because no one had paid the Pacific Gas and Electric Co. bill.
Killed were Robert Charles Jr., 4; Natalie Rogers and Nevaeh Nunn,
both 2; and Keviana Morgan, 1.
All four children lived in the apartment, the county coroner's office
said. The children's mothers suffered smoke inhalation and burns.

2nd Mom In Fairfield Fire Taken Into Custody
Shetarra James Taken Into Custody
POSTED: 9:33 pm PDT July 26, 2010
UPDATED: 9:52 pm PDT July 26, 2010

FAIRFIELD, Calif. -- Shetarra James, one of the mothers whose children were killed in a fatal fire in Fairfield, was taken into custody Monday.

The District Attorney's office made the arrest. James was booked into Solano County Jail.

Solano County prosecutors said they were pursuing manslaughter and child abuse charges against sisters Latisha and Shetarra James on suspicion of leaving their children home alone.

A $250,000 arrest warrant was issued for Shetarra James.

Latisha James was taken into custody in early July when she voluntarily showed up to her court appearance.

The four victims' mothers were outside when the fire started. A candle left burning on a television set in a front living room was cited as the probable cause of the blaze.

Robert Christopher Charles, 4; Natalie Rogers, 2; Nevaeh Nunn, 2; and 1-year-old Keviana Michelle Morgan all died in the Delaware Street fire.


Read more: http://www.kcra.com/news/24403224/detail.html#ixzz1LUcHNUlp

Latisha James and Shetarra James mothers of fire that killed four children gave different accounts
Published by Staff Writer on December 14, 2010

Two mothers whose four children died in a fire in Fairfield last April gave different accounts of what happened that day, a Fairfield police sergeant testified this morning at a preliminary hearing in Solano County Superior Court.Sisters Latisha James, 23, and Shetarra James, 24, are charged with four counts each of involuntary manslaughter and child neglect. The preliminary hearing will allow a judge to determine whether there is enough evidence to send the case to trial. Sgt. Rob Lenke testified that he interviewed both women at the NorthBay Medical Center where they were being treated for injuries after the April 28 fire at 728 Delaware St. Lenke said Shetarra James told him the women were inside the apartment with their children when a wall heater caught fire.Shetarra James said she and her sister panicked and ran outside for help, leaving the children, who ranged in age from 2 to 4, inside, Lenke said. She then told him the women could not get back inside because of the smoke and heat, he said.Latisha James said she and her sister went outside the apartment to charge their phones in a laundry room because their electricity had been shut off, according to Lenke.She told Lenke that Shetarra James told her she had blown out the candles they were using for light before she left the apartment, Lenke testified.Latisha James said the sisters were outside for no more than 10 minutes when they saw smoke in the air, Lenke said. She said she crawled inside the apartment but burned her hand and left the apartment, according to Lenke.Lenke testified that when he questioned Shetarra James a second time, she denied that candles were burning when the mothers left the apartment.Shetarra James said she went back inside to check on the children and give them some sandwiches, he testified. She said the women were outside the apartment for about 30 minutes.Fairfield police Officer Steven Trojanowski testified this morning that there were two distinct areas of flames inside the apartment – near a piece of furniture and in the vicinity of a heater.Fire investigators said the candles sparked the fire.

http://www.fugitive.com/archives/32945

Fairfield sisters due back in court
By Reporter Staff
Posted: 04/22/2011 04:10:04 AM PDT


A pair of Fairfield sisters charged in connection with a fatal apartment fire that killed their four children last April were back in court briefly Thursday for a readiness conference ahead of a jury trial set for July.

Shetarra James, 24, and Latisha James, 23, will return to court at 8:30 a.m. May 26, where Solano County Superior Court Judge Peter B. Foor will receive status updates from Amy Morton, attorney for Shetarra James, and Deputy Conflict Defender Meenha Lee, who represents Latisha James, regarding writs of mandate filed on behalf of their clients with the state appellate court.


The attorneys petitioned the court of appeals seeking to have some or all of the charges against the two co-defendants reduced or dismissed before heading to trial in Solano County Superior Court.


The sisters each face four counts of child endangerment. Additionally, Shetarra James is charged with four counts of second-degree murder and Latisha James is charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter.


The James sisters were arrested after candles left burning inside their apartment were apparently knocked over and caught the apartment on fire while the women's children were apparently left unsupervised inside.


The sisters remain in Solano County Jail custody with bail for Shetarra James set at $1 million and Latisha James' bail set at $250,000.


http://www.thereporter.com/news/ci_17906990

TRIAL MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE	01-JUL-2011 08:30 AM	Fairfield	DPT 17 RM 204 JUSTICE CENTER	FOOR, PETER B.
JURY TRIAL	19-JUL-2011 09:30 AM	Fairfield	DPT 17 RM 204 JUSTICE CENTER	FOOR, PETER B.

http://courtconnect.solano.courts.ca.gov/courtconnect/ck_public_qry_doct.cp_dktrpt_frames?backto=P&case_id=FCR277383&begin_date=&end_date=

July 08, 2011


No change of venue for trial of mothers whose children died in fire

Sisters Latisha James, left, and Shetarra James, right, face criminal prosecution in connection with the April 28, 2010 death of Latisha James' child and Setarra James' three children in an apartment fire on Deleware Street in Fairfield. (Daily Republic)


FAIRFIELD — A judge rejected an effort Friday to move the upcoming jury trial of two Fairfield mothers out of Solano County.
Attorneys for Latisha and Shetarra James argued that media coverage and the scathing online comments about the sisters made it impossible for them to find a fair and impartial jury. Shetarra James’ attorney also mentioned that The Daily Republic had made the burning deaths of the sisters’ four children its top story of 2010.
Latisha James’ daughter, 2-year-old Natalie Rogers, and Shetarra James’ children, Robert Charles Jr., 4, Nevaeh Nunn, 2, and Keviana Morgan, 1, died in an apartment fire.
The James sisters are scheduled to start a jury trial July 19. Latisha James faces manslaughter and child abuse charges. Shetarra James faces four counts of second-degree murder along with charges of child abuse causing death.
The sisters were in the parking lot in the alleyway of their Delaware Street apartment on the night of April 28, 2010, when they saw thick, black smoke pouring out of the doorway of their nearby apartment. Inside the apartment, three of their children were strapped in strollers and a fourth child had been left resting on a couch. They burned to death.
Electricity for the apartment had been turned off and candles were burning for light in the apartment, according to police testimony at a probable cause hearing.
After rejecting the change of venue request, Judge Peter B. Foor briefly listened to defense attorneys start to argue that the sisters should stand trial separately. Those arguments quickly got bogged down by Shetarra James’ attorney announcing that she just recently learned from a neuropsychologist that her client possibly suffers from “very serious cognitive deficits.”
Foor ordered the sisters back to court July 14.

http://www.dailyrepublic.com/news/crimecourts/no-change-of-venue-for-trial-of-mothers-whose-children-died-in-fire/

Charges dropped against one mom in fatal fire
Wednesday, July 20, 2011


FAIRFIELD -- Charges have been dropped against one of two Fairfield mothers in connection with an apartment fire that killed four children.

Latisha James, 24, was released after Solano County prosecutors dismissed manslaughter and child abuse charges Monday.

Her sister, Shetarra James, 25, still faces a November trial on charges of second-degree murder.Latisha James' 2-year-old daughter, Natalie Rogers, and Shetarra James' three children - Robert Charles Jr., 4, Nevaeh Nunn, 2, and 1-year-old Keviana Morgan - died when their apartment at 728 Delaware St. caught fire April 28, 2010, after a candle was left burning on a television set.

The mothers were in a parking lot outside, and the children were left unattended for about 30 minutes before the fire broke out, authorities said. Three were strapped into strollers while the fire raged.

Two other candles were burning in the apartment, which was without power because the Pacific Gas and Electric Co. bill hadn't been paid.

Although the fire itself was accidental, the women were charged because they left their children alone with the burning candles, authorities said.

Shetarra James' attorney, Amy Morton said Tuesday that the prosecution's decision to dismiss charges against the sister "doesn't affect my client in any negative way."

Morton said, "I'm thrilled for Latisha. All along, this young woman has never had any ground to be prosecuted. She's lost a year of her life, she's obviously lost her daughter. I'm grateful that she's been released and can get on with her life."



Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/07/19/BA8O1KC938.DTL#ixzz1ShPNHCLU

Murder Trial of Shetarra James Begins in Fairfield

25-Year Old Accused Of Murder In Fire That Killed 4 Children

Tom DuHain/KCRA
POSTED: 12:41 pm PDT November 3, 2011


FAIRFIELD, Calif. (KCRA) -- Opening arguments concluded Thursday in the murder trial of 25-year old Shetarra James in Fairfield.
Her three children and her sister’s child died in an apartment fire in April 2010.
Prosecutor Karen Jensen said James is guilty of second-degree murder because she left the four children, ages 1 to 4, in an inherently dangerous situation which resulted in their deaths.
Jensen said James and her sister were in a parking lot near the apartment they shared for a half-hour before the fire began.
The jury was told fire investigators determined the cause of the blaze was candles left burning in the apartment. Jensen said electricity had been turned off for lack of payment.
The prosecutor also said James repeatedly lied to investigators about the cause, at first blaming a defective wall heater and denying the candles had been used.
Defense attorney Amy Morton said witnesses will show that James was a loving and devoted mother. She talked about the defendant’s background which included a learning disability and sexual abuse as a child.

Read more: http://www.kcra.com/news/29675996/detail.html#ixzz1d2YoEcKW

Fire Experts Testify In Shetarra James Trial
Fairfield Mother Accused Of Murder In Fatal Fire

Tom DuHain/KCRA
POSTED: 12:28 pm PDT November 4, 2011


FAIRFIELD, Calif. (KCRA) -- The second day of the murder trial of Shetarra James began with the questioning of Brad Martin, a former Fairfield fire captain and arson investigator.
James is on trial for second-degree murder in the death of four young children in an apartment fire in April 2010. Experts say the children were left alone with candles burning.
Martin previously testified the blaze started accidentally when a 4 year-old-boy somehow contacted a candle flame, which set his shirt on fire.
Under cross examination, Martin, now a fire chief, testified that he could not determine the exact cause of the fire, but did say it was accidental and not caused by arson.
He admitted it was possible the boy could have started the fire with matches or a lighter.
Solano County prosecutor Karen Jansen told the jury that James should be found guilty of murder because she left her three children, and her sister’s 2-year old daughter, in an inherently dangerous situation which resulted in their deaths.

Read more: http://www.kcra.com/news/29686272/detail.html#ixzz1d2Z4dzMY

Prosecution rests in Fairfield fatal fire trial
BY RYAN CHALK / THE REPORTER
Posted: 11/09/2011 01:04:13 AM PST

The prosecution wrapped up its case on Tuesday against a Fairfield mother charged with murder in connection with a deadly apartment fire last year by calling a detective to testify about a series of conflicting statements she made to police in the hours following the deadly blaze.
Fairfield police Sgt. Rob Lenke took the witness stand in Solano County Superior Court to confirm for a jury the differing accounts of where Shetarra James was and what she was doing at the time a fire erupted at the Delaware Street apartment she shared with her sister, Latisha, and their four children. The fire on April 28, 2010, claimed the lives of Shetarra's three children, 4-year-old Robert Charles Jr., 2-year-old Nevaeh Nunn and 1-year-old Keviana Morgan, and Latisha's daughter, 2-year-old Natalie Rogers.

Deputy District Attorney Karen Jensen played audio recordings of the interviews Lenke had with Shetarra James at NorthBay Medical Center, where she was being treated for smoke inhalation.

Keeping a calm voice throughout the interviews, James told Lenke, who is the lead detective on the case, that she was in the apartment with her sister and their four children when the wall-mounted heater began to make a popping noise. Debris then began flying and the apartment filled with smoke, forcing them outside.

Their attempts to rescue the kids were stymied by the smoke, she told Lenke.

"We really didn't care about the smoke, we were trying to get our kids," James told the officer.
A fire investigator and a fire reconstruction expert had previously testified that the cause of the blaze was likely candles burning in the apartment or "fire play," explained as the possibility the oldest child was playing with matches. Their best explanation was that Robert Charles' shirt sleeve, which was badly burned, had caught fire from one of three candles burning in the apartment, first catching a couch on fire before spreading.

James initially told Lenke that despite not having electricity, no candles were burning at the time of the blaze.

However, things weren't adding up for the detective after receiving initial reports from fire personnel and other witnesses.

Lenke interviewed James a second time, when she admitted the two sisters were outside trying to charge a cell phone. She told him that the three youngest children were strapped into strollers, while Robert was left sitting on the couch.

Lenke asked James why she gave him a different story.

"To tell you the truth, I thought I was going to get in trouble," James said.

Lenke again asked why.

"Basically for leaving the kids in the house," she replied.

James continued to give conflicting statements, saying the sisters were outside anywhere from 10 minutes to 30 minutes before they noticed the apartment was on fire. She later admitted that Latisha told her to blow out the candles before coming outside, but she had forgot, according to her interview with Lenke.

Shetarra James is charged with four counts of second-degree murder and four counts of child endangerment in connection with the fatal fire. Involuntary manslaughter charges against Latisha James have been dismissed with the likelihood prosecutors will re-file them at a later date.

The trial will resume at 10 a.m. on Thursday with testimony from defense witnesses.


http://www.thereporter.com/news/ci_19296148

Fairfield suspect has syndrome, psychologist testifies
BY RYAN CHALK / THE REPORTER
Posted: 11/11/2011 01:04:45 AM PST

A Fairfield mother charged with murder in a 2010 apartment blaze that killed four children could not have understood the consequences of leaving them unattended in the apartment due to frontal lobe syndrome, which caused a disconnect between actions and consequences, according to a psychologist who testified in her defense in Solano County Superior Court on Thursday.
As the trial for Shetarra James, 25, winds down, defense attorney Amy Morton called clinical psychologist Dr. Carol B. Walser to the witness stand to explain to jurors her findings -- the result of hours of interviews with James inside Solano County Jail.

Walser said her evaluation of James revealed a childhood in which she endured beatings and sexual abuse, leading to post traumatic stress disorder later in life. Also, Walser found that James had been in special education classes throughout her schooling and her full-scale IQ of 70 placed her in second percentile, or one point away from being classified as "intellectually deficient."

These factors, among others led the board certified forensic examiner to believe James suffered from a disconnect between consequences and actions.

"There's literally a neurological shearing in those two areas," Walser testified.

James is charged with four counts of second-degree murder and four counts of child endangerment in connection with the April 28, 2010, apartment fire that claimed the lives of her three children, 4-year-old Robert Charles Jr.,2-year-old Nevaeh Nunn and 1-year-old Keviana Morgan.
A fourth child, 2-year-old Natalie Rogers, belonging to James' sister, Latisha, also died in the fire but prosecutors dismissed involuntary manslaughter charges against Latisha James in July with the intent to refile them at a later date.

A fire investigator and a fire reconstruction expert had previously testified that the cause of the blaze was likely candles burning in the apartment or "fire play," explained as the possibility the oldest child was playing with matches. Their best explanation was that Robert Charles' shirt sleeve, which was badly burned, had caught fire from one of three candles burning in the apartment, first catching a couch on fire before spreading.

Deputy District Attorney Karen Jensen raised questions about materials and statements Walser used as a base for her opinions of James.

Walser admitted under Jensen's questioning that most of the materials used in forming her opinion were provided by the defense counsel, as the psychologist was retained by James' attorney to perform the tests. Jensen also pointed out that Walser's testimony on direct examination failed to inform the jury that James maintained a "C" average and managed to graduate from high school.

"I felt like I had all of the information I needed," Walser testified.

Walser's report also said that James, suffering from depression, attempted to commit suicide in the jail, however there was no record of that attempt by jail staff, Jensen pointed out. There was documentation that she told jail staff about suicidal thoughts, Jensen said.

That led the prosecutor to question whether James may have lied to the psychologist in an attempt to influence her findings.

Walser said that leading questions could have directed James to give certain responses, and asking her if she had ever committed suicide is a routine question a psychologist would ask.

"So you're saying that you led her to tell you she tried to cut her wrists and tie socks around her neck to commit suicide?" Jensen asked.

Walser said that people attempt suicide in jail often and it goes undocumented.

Others called to testify in James' defense included her younger sister and the owner of a nonprofit shelter for homeless women, in which James lived in for about eight months.

"When it came down to her kids, it was always her kids first. She never put herself before her kids," said Marquesa James, 23, Shetarra's sister.

Shrenda Rodgers, who operated the now defunct People of Prayer Tran-sitional Home, said that James proved herself to be responsible and was designated house manager after several months of living there with her children.

"She was a dedicated mother," Rodgers said.

The trial is expected to resume at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday in the Fairfield courtroom of Superior Court Judge Peter B. Foor.

http://www.thereporter.com/news/ci_19313909

November 17, 2011 | Posted by Ian Thompson
Jury finds fatal fire mom guilty of involuntary manslaughter

FAIRFIELD — A Fairfield mother accused in the death of her three children and her sister’s child in an April 28, 2010, apartment fire in Fairfield was found guilty Thursday of four counts of involuntary manslaughter and four counts of child endangerment.
Shetarra James, 25, faced four counts of second-degree murder but was acquitted on those charges. The jury opted instead for the lesser charges. It began deliberations Wednesday after closing arguments.
James’ attorney, Amy Morton, said she was not surprised by the outcome, calling the case very sad. She said she will now put her energies to arguing for mitigation of a sentence that could carry up to 20 years in prison. James will be back in court Feb. 3, 2012, for judgment and sentencing.
Prosecuting attorney Deputy District Attorney Karen Jensen said she was happy with the outcome and praised the jury for working hard to come up with their verdict.
“I felt compassion for her and I felt sorry for her, but she broke the law,” Jensen said.
James and her sister Latisha James were living in an apartment on Delaware Street with Shetarra James’ three children, Robert Charles, Jr., 4, 2-year-old Nevaeh Nunn and 1-year-old Kevianna Morgan as well as Latisha James’ 2-year-old girl, Natalie Rogers.
The two women were in the parking lot when a fire, caused by a burning candle, erupted in the apartment, killing all four children. The candles were burning because the apartment’s electricity had been disconnected a few days earlier.
Charges were dropped against Latisha James in July, but prosecutors have said that those charges could be refiled after Shetarra James’ trial concludes.

http://www.dailyrepublic.com/news/crimecourts/jury-finds-fatal-fire-mom-guilty-of-involuntary-manslaughter/