Grant jury indicts sisters accused in arson fire that killed 5-year-old boy
Taquida and Tiakayla Hendrix have been indicted by a Monroe County grand jury, charged with murder, arson and assault in connection with an arson fire that killed a 5-year-old boy. (File Photo: WHEC)
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The two sisters charged with murder and arson in a fire that claimed a 5-year-old boy’s life have been indicted by a Monroe County grand jury.
The indictment charges Tiakayla Hendrix, 21, and Taquida Hendrix, 31, with second-degree murder, first-degree arson, and second-degree assault.
The fire started around 2 a.m. on Monday, July 29 and killed Malakai Stovall who was home with a babysitter at the time. Firefighters rescued him from the second floor but he died of his injuries days later at the hospital, having burns on 75% of his body.
The sisters are accused of deliberately setting the fire at the Portland Avenue home. They have pleaded not guilty in Rochester City Court.
If convicted, first-degree arson carries a penalty of 15 years to life in prison. The second-degree murder charge is the same. However, since the victim was under the age of 14, that could include a life sentence without the chance of parole.