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Accused child killer makes first court appearance

Adam Lawson
alawason@gastongazette.com
Elijah Ziolkowski (pictured) was found dead in a house fire Nov. 14, 2016. Police now say his mother suffocated him prior to the blaze.

[Photo contributed by the Meriden Record-Journal]

A Bessemer City woman wants a local lawyer for help in the extradition process now that police in her former home state of Connecticut accuse her of suffocating her young son and then setting the family house on fire.

Meriden Police charged 41-year-old Karin Ziolkowski with first-degree murder and second-degree arson on Friday, almost 11 months after 8-year-old Elijah Ziolkowski was found dead in the house he shared with his mother.

Fire officials had ruled the boy's death a product of smoke inhalation from the Nov. 14, 2016, fire. Detectives now say he died of "homicidal asphyxia" before his mother used Tiki oil to set fire to the bedroom and basement of their 13 Davis St. home.

In a 19-page report completed by the Meriden Fire Department, Fire Marshal Steve Trella detailed how there was a pile of clothing, a cardboard box and a blue plastic lighter found in the basement. There were burn patterns on the bottom of a bed frame upstairs, with no bedding on the bed itself, Trella said.

Neither bedroom window was operable and "it didn't appear an attempt was made to open either one due to the latches still being in the locked positions and no fingerprints on any portion of either window," according to the report.

Ziolkowski was removed from intensive care on Nov. 18, 2016.

Court records show that Ziolkowski had attempted to divorce her husband in March 2016 and wanted sole custody of Elijah, The Hartford (Conn.) Courant reported. A judge dismissed the case due to lack of diligence.

Details of the murder case, other than Ziolkowski's specific charges, weren't discussed Monday. She appeared by video in front of District Court Judge John K. Greenlee, where she announced her wishes for a court-appointed attorney to help her navigate the extradition process.

If she doesn't waive extradition, the state of Connecticut has 90 days to secure a governor's warrant to ensure her presence back to New England.

Greenlee set Ziolkowsi's bond at $1 million.

You can reach Adam Lawson at 704-869-1842 or on Twitter @GazetteLawson.