The gas had been cut off — and as the temperature plunged below freezing, her four kids were keeping warm by the heat of dangerous electric space heaters and a hot plate.
But Tatiana Meakens was so desperate to party Friday night that she left her young family home alone, prosecutors say.
It proved to be a fatal decision.
Meakens, 23, and her sister Brittany, 22, both hung their heads in silence in court Christmas Eve as prosecutors described how a fire caused by the hot plate at the family’s unsupervised Englewood home claimed the lives of little Javaris Davis, 2, and Jariyah Meakens, 3, early Saturday.
Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney Jamie Dickler alleged that the sisters — both charged with felony child endangerment and both ordered held on bond of $100,000 on Monday — knew the kids would be left unattended when they each decided to go to separate parties.
They had discussed who would look after Javaris, Jariyah, and their older siblings Darnell, 7, and Marquis, 4, earlier that evening, and agreed that Tatiana would stay at home, in the 6400 block of South Paulina, so that Brittany could go to a house party, Dickler said.
But while Brittany got ready, Tatiana got a call inviting her to a CD release party in Blue Island and decided to go, the prosecutor added.
“She ran out of the house even though Brittany told her not to go,” Dickler said.
Brittany then also left, leaving the children untended, it’s alleged.
Neither adult returned for hours — until they learned that the building had caught fire, Dickler said.
And when they finally arrived at the scene of the fire, they came up with a cover story, telling police and firefighters that a cousin named “Brandy” had been watching the kids, though no such relative exists, the prosecutor added.
Darnell and Marquis escaped the blaze and have been in DCFS custody since, but the younger children were trapped in a first-floor bedroom and died from smoke inhalation. http://www.suntimes.com/17209159-761/prosecutors-mom-and-sister-went-to-parties-leaving-kids-to-die-in-fire.html
It's a shame two young children died but it is not surprising that this happened in Chicago as Chicago has become a hell hole with shootings (7 just on Christmas Eve) and cases of child neglect. This is Obama's Chicago as Obama was a community organizer there and the current mayor is an Obamaite.
Coming to a town near you.
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