An Erie mother accused of leaving her three young children home alone before a March house fire claimed their lives will stand trial on all charges after a preliminary hearing Wednesday.
District Judge Paul Bizzarro bound all 12 charges against 23-year-old Danozjna Williams over for trial, including criminal homicide and endangering the welfare of children. Williams remains behind bars without bond.
The hearing was emotional as eight witnesses testified about the events surrounding the March 29 fire at 535½ East 26th Street. Williams, who lost all three of her children in the fire, dropped her head onto the courtroom table and wept as testimony was presented.
Erie Fire Lt. Marie Pastewka described the difficult conditions firefighters faced as they tried to enter the burning second-floor apartment. She testified that the door was locked and blocked by a sectional couch.
Once inside, Pastewka said she found two of the children in a smoke-filled bedroom. Five-month-old Amira Al Mansouri was lying on a bed, so small and covered by a blanket that Pastewka initially thought she was a doll. Pastewka then discovered 5-year-old Tobias Huff, who was face down and partially underneath the bed. Another first responder found 3-year-old D’Lilia Huff, also underneath the bed.
Pastewka testified that the fire originated in the kitchen. She said that if one of two bedroom doors had not been open, allowing smoke to enter the bedroom, the children, who died of smoke inhalation, may have survived.
Detectives also testified about security camera footage from all four sides of the home, which prosecutors said showed when Williams left and returned to the residence.
That testimony was used by Erie County District Attorney Elizabeth Hirz and Assistant District Attorney Shane Kaliszewski to challenge statements Williams allegedly made to investigators. Prosecutors said Williams initially claimed she was gone for only about 10 minutes to go to Walmart, and at other times said her brother or a handyman was at the home with the children.
Handyman Wayne Roupp testified that he had been at the apartment weeks before the fire, but not on the day of the fire.
Brooke Lent of Corry also testified about what prosecutors described as a planned fentanyl transaction in Corry. Investigators testified that cell phone, surveillance and tracking technology was able to follow the path of Williams’ black Dodge Charger south on Route 8 and back to Erie. Prosecutors said the trip lasted about 50 minutes and did not include a stop at Walmart.
Williams’ landlord testified that he called her after being alerted by a neighboring tenant that the house was on fire.
Erie Police Detective Brian Barber testified that during a phone conversation outside the UPMC Hamot emergency room, where the children were taken, he heard Williams cry and tell the person she was talking with that it was all her fault, and that she would never see her children again.
Defense attorney Brian Arrowsmith asked questions of some of the prosecution witnesses, but did not present and defense witnesses during the preliminary hearing. Any defense testimony will come during the trial.
Williams remains in custody without bond.