Deadly fire in Milwaukee, woman convicted of negligent homicide

MILWAUKEE – A Milwaukee woman has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for a 2023 fire that killed a man.

Merchelle Adams, 63, pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter in July. Prosecutors had originally charged her with first-degree manslaughter and arson.

In addition to his prison sentence, Adams was sentenced to nine years of extended probation.

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Case details

On July 11, 2023, Milwaukee firefighters were called to a home near 29th Street and Bobolink. When they arrived, they noticed flames coming from the upper portion of the building – and a male voice screaming “help,” according to a criminal complaint.

According to the complaint, firefighters searched and cleared the ground floor and basement of the home, meaning the person calling for help was likely on the first floor. Due to the intensity of the fire, emergency crews were unable to reach the second floor.

After investigation into arson in Milwaukee, fire flares up again near 29th Street and Bobolink

According to prosecutors, the fire captain said his face shield and the front of the house melted due to the intense heat. Eventually, firefighters found the victim, identified as Anthony Winters, in a bedroom of the upstairs apartment.

The complaint states that police officers found Adams sitting directly across from the burning house. She admitted that she was inside the house and living there when the fire started – but claimed the victim was not in the house.

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Police spoke to a witness at the scene. According to the complaint, the witness said he saw a woman “walk across the street from the area of ​​the residence and sit on the rocks.” The witness told investigators the woman said, “I set the house on fire,” before she started laughing — and said there was a “blind man inside… that's what he gets out of it.”

The same witness told police that he and another woman tried to get into the building to find the man, but they were unable to reach him because of the flames and smoke. He could hear the victim screaming for help.

Inside the house near 29th Street and Bobolink after a fire, Milwaukee

When police asked Adams about the cause of the fire, she replied that it was “due to domestic violence,” according to the complaint. She gave different versions of the cause of the fire, but eventually admitted to setting the fire.

Prosecutors said Adams told police the victim was sleeping on a mattress that she lit with a lighter. She said she told the victim to “go outside and put out the fire” before running out the door. She said she did it to scare the victim “because she had experienced domestic violence earlier in the day.”