A DeKalb County mom has been charged with a third murder charge after the third of her children has died from injuries in a devastating fire.
Rockell Coleman's five children were home alone when a fire broke out in their house on Misty Valley Road about 11 p.m. Friday. Two boys, ages 3 and 4, died that night, DeKalb Police Capt. Steve Fore said.
On Monday, a 10-year-old brother who had been hospitalized in critical condition also died, Fore said. The two other injured children are still in fair condition, he said.
Coleman, 28, remained in the DeKalb County Jail on Tuesday. She faces five counts of felony child cruelty and three counts of felony murder.The murder charge is based on the law that makes a death murder if it arises from a felony, in this case child cruelty, Fore said.
She faces a mandatory life sentence if convicted of felony murder.
On Monday, DeKalb police dropped five counts of child abandonment because the law requires the child to be under 1 year of age for that charge to apply, Fore said. Coleman said she was working handling out fliers for a tax-preparation service when the fire occurred near Decatur.
The case marks at least the second time this year that DeKalb authorities have sought murder or manslaughter charges against mothers whose young children died in fires when home alone. A Stone Mountain woman was sentenced to 35 years after a jury convicted her of manslaughter. Two of her children died in an apartment fire that broke out while she was on a fast-food run.
Fore acknowledged such deaths once were viewed more as tragedies than crimes but no longer.
“A lot of times we are obligated to bring the charges,” Fore said. “It really depends on the totality of the circumstances.”
