A mother from Pennsylvania is now facing serious legal charges following the tragic deaths of her three children in a house fire, which occurred while she was reportedly involved in a “drug transaction,” according to prosecutors.
Erie County District Attorney Elizabeth Hirz revealed on May 8 that Danozjna Shalita Marjie Williams has been charged with third-degree murder, endangering the welfare of children, aggravated assault, and recklessly endangering another person.
“This tragedy is both heartbreaking and entirely avoidable,” Hirz stated. “The evidence indicates that these young children were left unsupervised at a time when they required their mother’s protection and care. Unfortunately, that responsibility was neglected, leading to catastrophic consequences.”
Children of Danozjna Shalita Marjie Williams Killed in Deadly Fire
Firefighters were dispatched to the scene of the devastating fire at 4:23 p.m. on March 29, as noted in a statement from Erie Firefighters IAFF Local 293.
Upon arrival, they encountered “extremely challenging conditions” and worked swiftly to extinguish the blaze.
“Despite the heroic efforts,” firefighters said, “two victims succumbed to their injuries.”
A third child later died at the hospital after being flown to Pittsburgh for treatment. The children were later identified in obituaries as: Tobias Ya’Shan Lee Huff, 5; Da’Liyla Lelona Huff, 3; and Amirah Al-Mansouri, 5 months.
Firefighters said the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
According to prosecutors, all three children had been left unsupervised at the home when the fire began.
They added, “Police are alleging that Williams was gone for approximately 50 minutes to facilitate a drug transaction.”
When firefighters arrived at the apartment, they initially had difficulty getting inside the property because a mattress was blocking the stairwell and a couch had been placed in front of the door, according to court records obtained by Erie News Now.
Williams arrived at the scene around 4:51 p.m. and initially told authorities that she’d left the children with her brother, according to the court records.
She later revised the story, allegedly telling a detective that she’d only left the children for five minutes to go buy blinds at Walmart, authorities said.
However, surveillance footage showed her black Charger leaving the apartment at 4:01 p.m. and returning at 4:51 p.m., according to the court records.
Investigators could not find any surveillance footage putting her at Walmart, but they did recover a recorded phone call she had with Tyler Huff, the father of two of her children, who was being housed in the Erie County Prison.
In one of the calls, Williams allegedly asked Huff if he would go to Corry for “300,” then said in another call that she was “heading out to Corry,” per the court records.
Investigators spoke to a witness who told them that Williams allegedly arranged to buy about $300 worth of heroin or fentanyl and bring it to Corry, authorities said.
According to the court records, Williams’ landlord called her at 4:35 p.m. and asked her, “Where are you, your house is on fire.” Authorities said Williams disconnected the call and wasn’t at the home at the time.
Danozjna Shalita Marjie Williams’ Children Remembered By Loved Ones
Her children are being remembered for what they brought to the world.
“Tobias was a very helpful, crazy, funny 5 year old. He loved being a big brother. he always wanted to make somebody feel loved by doing anything to make them smile,” read his obituary. “Tobias loved his family more than anything. He loved the color blue; he got that from his love for watching Sonic. He also loved food.”
Da’Liyla was described as a “daddy’s girl” who loved pink.
“She spoke her mind and always told you how she felt. Happy, sad, mad, she going to tell you,” her obituary shared. “Da’Liyla loved trying on different clothes, especially dresses. She loved Elsa, we would have to watch Frozen 5 times a day. She also loved to dance.”
Meanwhile, baby Amirah Al-Mansouri had “so much joy to bring” to others.
“She was always happy and smiling, there was never a time she wasn’t,” her obituary read. “Amirah loved eating and loved watching her brother dance, she would laugh so hard watching him dance. She also loved sleeping and being held until she was ready to get put down for bed.”
Williams is currently being held without bail. Court records reviewed by Oxygen do not list an attorney. A spokesperson for the Erie County Public Defender’s Office told Oxygen that she is not being represented by their office.