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A mother accused of setting a mobile home fire in Kathleen, Fla., that killed her son and brother waived extradition from Ohio on Wednesday, agreeing to return to Florida to face murder and arson charges.
Cheryl Burns, 35, signed the extradition waiver in Hamilton County just hours after her 11-year-old brother died at Shriners Burns Institute.
Jeremy Johnson had suffered third-degree burns over more than 70 percent of his body, hospital officials said.
Mrs. Burns' 7-year-old son, Benjamin Burns, died Monday. She is charged with first-degree murder in both deaths.
Injured were her stepdaughter, 9-year-old Stephanie Burns, and Mrs. Burns' 13-year-old son, Matthew Mohammed. They remained in critical condition at Shriners on Wednesday. Another son, 14-year-old Michael Mohammed, escaped unharmed.
Mrs. Burns' father, James Johnson, who owned the home, also was hospitalized with burns. Mrs. Burns and her adult brother suffered minor burns in the Sunday night fire at their mobile home in Kathleen, a small community north of Lakeland and east of Tampa.
Mrs. Burns was arrested in Ohio after telling a hospital security guard that she set the fire to hurt her father and let her children "live in a nice place, a quieter place, meaning heaven," said Polk County Sheriff Lawrence Crow Jr.
She told detectives she spread gas in the kitchen, set the fire and went back to bed, knowing the children were asleep, Sheriff Crow said. She later escaped, but ran back inside as she heard the children's screams.
Polk County detectives planned to travel to Ohio to bring her back to Florida from the Hamilton County Jail.
Although she signed the waiver that clears her removal to Florida, Mrs. Burns must appear this morning before Hamilton County Magistrate Richard A. Bernat to state, in his presence, she signed the waiver freely and willingly.
Mrs. Burns originally was charged with one count of first-degree murder, four counts of attempted murder and arson. One of the attempted murder counts was upgraded to first-degree murder after Jeremy's death, Polk County sheriff's spokeswoman Michel Holder said. Mrs. Burns' adult brother, Andy Johnson, said she had a history of psychological problems, including a recent suicide attempt.
