A judge had ordered three Colorado children to spend Christmas with their father before his ex-wife allegedly violated the custody decree and killed two of the kids, court records show.
Kimberlee Singler, a 35-year-old Colorado Springs woman, was taken into custody over the weekend in the United Kingdom and held in connection with the killings of her younger daughter, 9, and son, 7, officials said.
On Dec. 19, police responded to an early morning 911 call about a burglary at Singler’s condo where they found the two dead children. Their mother and their 11-year-old sister were taken to the hospital. Police eventually said that there had been no burglary and issued an arrest warrant for Singler, who had already fled the jurisdiction.
Singler and her ex-husband, 38-year-old Kevin John Wentz, had been locked in a yearslong court battle over custodial issues.
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The court ordered "makeup parenting time," with the children set to be turned over to Wentz at the Stetson Hills Division station of the Colorado Springs Police Department at 9 a.m. Dec. 16, and going back to Singler at noon Dec. 31 at the Greeley Police Department, court records showed. But when Singler did not show up with the children, Wentz went to court Dec. 17 asking for emergency action and a "law enforcement assist to enforce parenting time," Larimer County court records showed. A hearing was then set for Dec. 20, which turned out to be a day after the slayings.
Wentz's attorney could not be reached for comment Tuesday and Wednesday. Singler appeared to have represented herself in family court for years and a former attorney declined comment Tuesday.
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