HOUSTON – A grand jury Wednesday indicted Jessica Tata on four counts of felony murder in connection with a deadly day care center fire in February. Seven children were trapped in the burning day care and four of them died.
Tata was also indicted on four counts each of injury to a child, endangering a child and abandoning a child.
Authorities believe Tata left seven children alone at the day care while she went shopping on Feb. 24. While she was gone, a fire was ignited by a stovetop burner.
Eighteen-month-old Elias Castillo, 3-year-old Shomari Dickerson, 20-month-old Elizabeth Kajoh and 20-month-old Kendyll Stradford perished in the blaze. Three other children, ages 3 and under, were injured.
Two days after the fire, Tata caught a flight to Nigeria as investigators scrambled to convince prosecutors to file charges.
Eventually, she was put on the U.S. marshals’ list of the 15 most wanted fugitives, and the agency offered a reward of up to $25,000.
Tata was later captured and returned to Houston on March 21. She pleaded not guilty to the initial charges against her.
Family members of the victims have said they hope the case spurs changes in how the state regulates day cares and the people who run them.
"Although it’s not going to bring all the children back it’s definitely going to set a new standard for day cares," Tiffany Dickerson, the mother of a fire victim and survivor, said. "Anyone who’s following the same patterns as her, anyone that’s sneaking off for moments at a time and leaving children unattended, will know that this is a wake-up call that this is not OK and there are consequences for these actions."
Dickerson has filed a lawsuit against Tata, her parents and the state, claiming negligence.
Meanwhile, Tata remains in the Harris County Jail on $1 million bond, separated from the other inmates for her protection. A judge refused her attorneys' request last week to lower the bond to $50,000.
In a jailhouse interview last month, Tata said she was struggling to express her remorse to the victims’ families.
"Sorry is not enough," Tata said. "You can only say sorry so many times."

http://www.khou.com/news/cnn/Sources-Grand-jury-indicts-Tata-on-felony-murder--122952348.html