Kimberlee Singler, the Colorado Springs woman accused of drugging and killing two of her children in December 2023, won’t see a preliminary hearing until May because of a delay in the receiving of evidence.

Singler’s case has been through many twists and turns since her arrest in the United Kingdom on Dec. 30, 2023, 11 days after Colorado Springs police responded to a burglary call at her home that investigators later determined was fake.

Singler, 37, faces seven felony charges in the 4th Judicial District Court, including two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder.

The mother appeared in person for Wednesday’s short hearing from the custody of the El Paso County jail, where she remains on a no-bond hold. She was wearing a bright-green jail jumpsuit and was shackled at the wrists and ankles. She displayed little emotion during the hearing, mostly looking down at the ground.

Singler’s defense counsel, which consists of Jennifer Cox and Kimberly Chalmers from the El Paso County Public Defender’s Office, waived the further reading of her charges and advisement.

A preliminary hearing was set for May 11, to last the majority of the day.

During a preliminary hearing, the prosecution introduces initial evidence in the case for a judge to “bind over,” or accept the counts for trial.

An El Paso County judge can rule not to accept the charges for trial, but that is not a common occurrence because the burden of proof for preliminary hearings is lower than it is for trial.

Typically, a preliminary hearing is held within 35 days of the defendant’s first appearance. However, attorneys on the case on Wednesday said that because no discovery or evidence has been released to either party, the defense is waiving that timeline.

Attorneys said they expect to receive evidence by the end of the week.

Several defense motions were also addressed in court on Wednesday. Notably, Judge William Bain ruled that no personal information of the remaining family be shared and no government workers, aside from jail staff, can have contact with Singler. In addition, Bain ordered the preservation of all evidence, both physical and digital.

It was a relatively packed courtroom, with dozens in appearance in support of the victims.

Case background and recent updates

On Dec. 19, 2023, the Colorado Springs Police Department received reports of a burglary at a home on Palomino Ranch Point near Stetson Hills and Tutt boulevards on the city’s east side. When they arrived, they found the bodies of the two children, a police statement said at the time.

Court documents obtained by Gazette news partner KOAA show that a court ruled Singler had to bring her children to her ex-husband for a holiday visit just days before the alleged attack. Singler and her ex-husband, Kevin Wentz, were in the midst of a contentious divorce and custody battle after their April 2018 split.

The deceased children were later identified as 9-year-old daughter, Elianna “Ellie” Wentz, and 7-year-old son, Aden Wentz.

Singler and her, at the time, 11-year-old daughter were treated for injuries. As the case unfolded, investigators started to uncover evidence that led them to believe the divorced mother was a suspect.

It remains unclear how Singler’s now 13-year-old daughter is doing as officials declined to comment on her health status at a recent news conference.

Skipping the country

Singler fled the country, with her last appearance in the U.S. on Dec. 23, 2023. The FBI was involved in the search for her, and authorities obtained a warrant for her arrest on Dec. 26.

A $10 million bond was already set by the court in the event of her arrest, which came nearly two weeks later. Singler had her first court appearance at the Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Jan. 1, 2024.

Singler was also involved in a battle against extradition back to the U.S. while in the U.K., with her attorneys claiming that extraditing Singler to the U.S. would violate Article 3 of the European Convention of Human Rights, according to past reporting. She was officially extradited to U.S. soil in December after a judge rejected her appeal to stay.