An American woman accused of murdering her two young children has been extradited from the United Kingdom to the United States to face a series of grave charges, following a protracted legal battle over her removal.
From Colorado to Kensington: An International Manhunt
Kimberlee Singler, aged 37, was arrested by the UK's National Crime Agency in the affluent Kensington area of west London in December 2023. This arrest came just one week after the bodies of her nine-year-old daughter and seven-year-old son were discovered in their family home in Colorado Springs, USA. Her third child, an 11-year-old daughter, was found injured but survived the incident.
Initially, Singler claimed to police that an unidentified male intruder had entered the apartment and attacked the family, leaving her with superficial knife wounds. Her surviving daughter initially corroborated this account. However, according to UK court documents, the child later told an investigator that her mother had stated "God made her do it."
Authorities launched a search for Singler on 26 December 2023. She was located and apprehended four days later in London's upscale Chelsea neighbourhood. The precise reason for her presence in the UK capital remains unclear.
A Custody Order and a Fatal Timeline
The tragedy unfolded amidst a bitter custody dispute. Court records indicate the family had been staying with Singler's mother during the proceedings, though the grandmother was away at the time of the killings. The day before the children's bodies were found, a Colorado judge had ordered Singler to comply with a previous ruling to allow the children's father to take custody for the holidays.
She was instructed to either hand the children over to her ex-husband voluntarily or bring them to a court hearing scheduled for 20 December 2023 for a formal custody exchange. On the very day of that hearing, Singler filed a motion to delay it, writing that she and her children had been attacked and that two were murdered. She requested time to grieve and "gain my bearings after this incident."
Police evidence contradicted her intruder story. Investigators reported finding no footprints in the snow leading to the patio door she claimed was used for entry. Furthermore, GPS records allegedly placed her ex-husband approximately 80 miles (130km) away at the time, driving a truck.
Extradition Battle and Eventual Return to the US
Singler contested her extradition from the UK, denying she had attacked her children. Her defence was led by prominent London attorney Edward Fitzgerald KC, who notably represented Julian Assange. Fitzgerald argued that extradition would breach European human rights law because a conviction for first-degree murder in Colorado carries a mandatory life sentence without parole.
This legal challenge was rejected by a judge at Westminster Magistrates' Court in January 2025, and a subsequent bid for an appeal was denied in November. With all UK avenues exhausted, her extradition proceeded.
Singler now faces a formidable list of charges in Colorado, including two counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted murder, three counts of child abuse, and one count of assault. According to the court clerk's office, she does not yet have a US-based attorney listed as representing her in the official documents.
