ANTHONY and ALAYNA HINOJOSA - 4 and 3 yo (2009) - Huron (SW of Detroit) MI

HURON TWP: Financial donations were used to bury children; remainder to go into a trust fund
Published: Tuesday, November 03, 2009
By Jackie Harrison-Martin

HURON TWP. — Hinojosa was a common name Downriver until Oct. 9. Then, it became infamous.

That’s when siblings Anthony and Alayna Hinojosa — 4 and 3, respectively — died in a mobile home fire, and other Hinojosa family members say they began a life marked by grief, harassment and suspicion.

The children died in the 3 a.m. fire at Huron Estates mobile home park that police believe was set by their mother, Sharon Elaine Hinojosa, 29.

The Hinojosa family remains devastated.

Hinojosa is charged with two counts each of first- and second-degree murder and one count of arson. She faces a sentence of life in prison, and is being held without bond in the Wayne County Jail.

She is awaiting a preliminary examination of the evidence against her, pending the results of a psychiatric evaluation.

One immediate family member spoke shortly after the fire, but members of the Hinojosa family have since refused repeated interview requests from media outlets.

But, constant suspicion and accusations over how donated money from the community was spent prompted the family to seek out the media to tell its story.

According to Stephanie Hinojosa, Sharon Hinojosa’s aunt, the family agreed that she would speak on behalf of the family, whose members decided to contact The News-Herald Newspapers.

Stephanie Hinojosa said she was the one who opened a memorial fund at Bank of America for the children. She said many people were generous, and there was enough money to pay for the funeral and headstones.

She said there is about $2,100 left over, and she is putting it in a trust fund for Sharon Hinojosa’s two surviving children.

“It will not be used for anything else,” Stephanie Hinojosa said. “We have been accused of paying for lawyer fees for Sharon with the money. That is not true. We all did give money for an attorney for her, but it was our own money.”

Some also have expressed concerns that some of the money might have gone to Justin Whisler, the father of Sharon Hinojosa’s youngest child, Aiden. Stephanie Hinojosa said that is not true, either. She said her family has little communication with Whisler, but it is trying to get custody of the 1-year-old.

Whisler — who is not Anthony and Alayna’s father — has said that he intends to take custody of his son. Aiden was placed in foster care after the fire.

According to police, Sharon Hinojosa set the trailer on fire with Anthony and Alayna inside, but left the trailer with Aiden. Her older daughter lives with her father and was not at the trailer.

Whisler recently said that Aiden was found in Sharon Hinojosa’s car, which also was on fire. He said a teenager found the baby and took him to safety. He said a cigarette was found inside the gas tank door.

Stephanie Hinojosa said the family, including its children, has been tormented by public ridicule since the fire.

“Everywhere we go when we show identification, people say, ‘Oh my God, do you know her?’” Stephanie Hinojosa said. “Kids go to school, and people are saying things to them.”

She said the family has tried to stay out of the public eye and just do what it can for its children. But once the questions and rumors started swirling, the Hinojosas decided that they couldn’t do that any longer.

Stephanie Hinojosa said she has spoken with her niece once since the fire, but just for a minute. Although Sharon Hinojosa has been charged, her aunt said the family does not accept the idea that she deliberately set the trailer on fire and left Anthony and Alayna inside to die.

If Stephanie Hinojosa could talk at length with her niece, she said she would just like to know what happened.

“Please, what happened,” she said, trying to maintain her composure. “That’s one of the hardest things. Is it true? Is it not true? We are hearing all of the information as the public does.”

She said that she and the family love Sharon Hinojosa, but are devastated by what happened.

“No mother or father or human agrees with what was done,” she said.

Stephanie Hinojosa said her niece was raised by a foster family and was not close with her biological family.

Although the Hinojosas would come together for major family functions, Stephanie Hinojosa said they lost touch on things pertaining to everyday life.

She said her niece was emotionally disconnected from her biological family, and none of them knew about the problems she might have been dealing with and how severe they might have been.

“We were never contacted,” Stephanie Hinojosa said. “If someone would have called us — a friend or the baby sitter — I don’t know if we could have made a difference or not, but we always come together to help family.

“I’m sure everybody — her biological family, her foster family and the Whisler family — is second-guessing the whole thing and what we should have or could have done. People get wrapped up in their own lives and then it’s too late. A lot of families are affected by this.”

Stephanie Hinojosa said she is learning abut matters that were going on in her niece’s life that is news to her. In fact, there is so much information being spread around, she said, that she doesn’t know what to believe.

Nevertheless, most everyone who knows Sharon Hinojosa and Whisler are speaking about the turbulent relationship they had. They were estranged at the time, and Sharon Hinojosa was being evicted from the trailer he owned.

Stephanie Hinojosa said what is most important to her now is that the two surviving children are protected as much as possible.

She said that although the Hinojosa family wants custody of Aiden, her family will support the Whisler family should he be given to them. She said the Hinojosas will come together with all the families involved to do what is best for the children.

“We don’t want to bash or judge anyone,” she said. “This is so unreal. No one can believe it.”

http://www.thenewsherald.com/articles/2009/11/03/news/doc4af0bb4984234593515750.txt?viewmode=fullstory

Witness: Mom Didn't Help Kids In Fire
More Charges Filed Against Woman

POSTED: Wednesday, March 17, 2010
UPDATED: 6:39 pm EDT March 17, 2010
WAYNE COUNTY, Mich. -- Chilling testimony was heard Wednesday in a court hearing for a 29-year-old Huron Township woman facing seven charges in connection with the burning death of her two young children.

Watch: Witness Testifies Against Mom Accused In Fatal Fire

Sharon Hinojosa has been charged with two counts of felony murder, two counts of premeditated murder, two counts of second-degree murder and arson in the October burning deaths of her children.

Hinojosa was arrested a day after her children were killed in her boyfriend's Huron Township trailer home on Clairet Street.

Hinojosa escaped the fire with her live-in boyfriend's 1-year-old son, Aiden. Neighbors were unable to save 4-year-old Anthony Hinojosa and 3-year-old Alayna Hinojosa.

Hinojosa's former neighbor, Joseph Dickes, took the stand Wednesday and told the court that Hinojosa purposely led him and another neighbor who were trying to save the kids to the wrong bedroom.

"She was in the front of the trailer watching us trying to get in -- nowhere near those kids' bedroom," said Dickes. "At this time, we had already wasted ten minutes on the wrong side of the trailer."

Hinojosa cried as she listened to Dickes tell the court that he could hear the kids screaming.

"If she would have said the kids are on the other side of the bedroom I could have gotten them out," said Dickes.

A fire inspector took the stand next and said that there were two unconnected points of origin where the fire was started. Shaun Williams said that the fire was set on the front porch and on the living room and accelerant was used to ignite the flames.

"It was incendiary in nature and on purpose," said Williams.

Another neighbor took the stand and said that Hinojosa had confided in her that her live-in boyfriend didn't like her children and that life would be better without them.

"Without the kids, there would be less problems," said Misty Dickes.

The prosecutors will now try to prove that Hinojosa deliberately killed her children in order to save her failing love affair.

Hinojosa was bound over for trial and will appear next in court on March 24.

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/22869986/detail.html

Funeral Held For Young Fire Victims
Mother Charged With Starting Fire

POSTED: Thursday, October 15, 2009
UPDATED: 12:29 pm EDT October 15, 2009

TAYLOR, Mich. -- Hundreds of people attended a funeral on Thursday for the two children who were killed when their mobile home caught on fire last week.

Alayna, 3 and her brother, 4-year-old Anthony, died when their home in the Huron Estates Mobile Home Park was set on fire around 3 a.m. Friday, said police.

Their mother, Sharon Hinojosa, 29, was charged in connection with the double homicide.

The funeral was held at Voran Funeral Home in Taylor.

Hinojosa and her 1-year-old boy, Aiden, escaped the fire and ran to a neighbor's home for help.

Police said Hinojosa made a frantic call to 911.

“My house is on fire. My kids are in the house,” Hinojosa told the operator.

Image Gallery:Mobile Home Fire
Watch: 2 Children Killed In Mobile Home Fire
Watch: Mom To Face Charges In Fatal Fire
Watch: Father Visits Fire Scene Where Kids Died

Jim Quillan said the mother knocked on his door, screaming her house was on fire.

Quillan said he and another neighbor ran over to the home and began breaking out windows in an attempt to save the children.

"When we busted the windows, we could hear the kids screaming. It was bad," Quillan said.

He said they tried to go inside, but the fire was too intense.

"There was so much smoke and fire, we couldn't get them out," Quillan said. "It was devastating. To know those kids were in there and we couldn't get them out."

Quillan claims that Hinojosa intentionally misled him and other neighbors who were trying to save the children from the flames.

“If she would have told us the right window from the get-go, we would probably have those kids here today,” said Quillan.

But Hinojosa’s family and friends said she could have never committed such a heinous crime and that she was a good mother.

“I don’t think she would do something like that. She always took care of them babies,” said Hinojosa’s father, Raymond.

"It's not like she chose just to save Aiden. She tried to save the other two. She can't change that, and she's going to have to live with that. That's a hard thing to live with," said the children's sobbing baby sitter, Pauline Zack.

Neighbors said the family recently moved in. The home was purchased by Sharon Hinojosa's ex-boyfriend, Justin Whistler, who is the father of the 1-year-old child who was saved.

Whistler's mother told Local 4 that he moved out of the home when the couple recently separated and he had just sent an eviction notice to Sharon Hinojosa.

Neighbors said the couple fought often before he moved out. Whistler was questioned by police and released.

"Justin -- he had his quirks. Everyone does. Nobody's perfect, but he loved those kids unconditionally. He used to play with them all the time. He was the best dad those kids could have had," said Zack. "Justin would have never done it. I don’t care what anyone says. He would have never done it."

From the very beginning, arson investigators called the fire on Clairet Road suspicious. Investigators said it appeared someone also tried to ignite Sharon Hinojosa's car in the driveway.

“There are a lot of prayers for those babies, a lot of prayers because they didn’t deserve this,” said Sharon Hinojosa’s sister, Stephanie Hinojosa.

A makeshift memorial, decorated with teddy bears, flowers, candles, balloons and Anthony's baby blanket, was erected near the burned-out mobile home Sunday.

A distraught Whistler visited the memorial site and the home where the children died for the first time since the incident Monday.

"It feels good to see everybody to come out and helping and supporting the kids. But it's still disappointing that it happened to begin with," said Hinojosa's neighbor Barbara Loftis.

Funds for the burial are being collected at the Leo's Coney Island on Telegraph Road in Taylor, Mich.

Also, a memorial fund at the Bank of America in Taylor has been set up to help the family pay for the children's funeral. Money can be sent to the Alayna and Anthony Hinojosa fund.

A not-guilty plea was entered for Sharon Hinojosa pending psychological exams.


http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/21305089/detail.html

ROMULUS: Mother bound over for trial in deaths of two of her children
Published: Thursday, March 18, 2010
By Jackie Harrison-Martin

ROMULUS — A mother accused of deliberately setting a trailer fire that claimed the lives of two of her children was bound over for trial Wednesday morning by 34th District Judge Brian Oakley.

Sharon Hinojosa is charged with two counts of first degree premeditated murder, two counts of felony murder, two counts of second degree murder and one count of arson in the deaths of Alayna Hinojosa, 3, and Anthony Hinojosa, 4.

The two counts of premeditated murder were added Wednesday.

She is being held without bond.

The children died in a blaze that engulfed their mobile home in Huron Township Estates at 3 a.m. Oct. 9.

Hinojosa appeared emotional at times and unmoved at other points as seven people gave testimony.

She wiped away tears as the woman she called her mother, who actually is a cousin who raised her, spoke about the telephone call she received from Hinojosa the morning of the fire.

Bobbie Lynn May told the court Hinojosa called her Florida house and told her the trailer was on fire and that she brought her infant son, Aiden, out, but couldn’t get to the other children.

Since the fire, May said, Hinojosa told her there was tiki oil on a picture and that she put it there.

As testimony continued, it was pointed out that Hinojosa told several differing stories about what happened to different people.

Brandi Lynn May, Hinojosa’s sister, gave tearful testimony, saying Hinojosa told her that Justin Whisler, Hinojosa’s on-again-off-again boyfriend at the time, shot the baby and that Anthony and Alayna were dead.

She said Hinojosa had a frantic tone of voice and said nothing about a fire.

Brian May, who adopted Hinojosa when she was 11, said Hinojosa also called him and said the trailer was on fire. He also said that she kept saying her babies were dead and that “he” has a bomb.

Brian May testified that he believes Hinojosa was referring to Whisler.

Huron police Detective Jonathan Bettendorf was at the scene that night. He and a Brownstown Township police detective questioned Hinojosa.

The Huron officer said Hinojosa gave three differing accounts of what occurred that night.

Bettendorf said Hinojosa first said someone knocked on the door and she smelled smoke.

In the second account, he said Hinojosa told them she might have flicked a cigarette and it might have landed on chemicals.

He said that in the third account Hinojosa said she used tiki oil to burn a picture and it might have spilled near a trash can by the front door.

A neighbor gave an animated and passionate account of what occurred and how he heard the screams of the children once the fire got to their room.

Joseph Dickes said he went inside the trailer looking for the children, but was forced out by flames. He said he broke out windows trying to get to them and was calling their names, but unknowingly was on the wrong side of the trailer.

He testified that he might have been able to save the children had he been told he was searching in the wrong area.

Dickes said Hinojosa was on her cellphone a good deal of the time. His wife, Misty, also testified. She and her daughter often baby-sat for the children.

In a low, soft voice, Misty Dickes said Hinojosa confided in her that she would have fewer problems without the kids.

Most everyone close to Hinojosa and Whisler said the two had a turbulent relationship. The trailer was owned by Whisler and he was evicting Hinojosa.

Whisler’s mother was in the courtroom, but he did not show up for the hearing. Prosecuting attorney Laura Weingarden told the judge she was confident she did not need his testimony to have Hinojosa bound over for trial, so she was not going to pursue having a bench warrant issued for him.

She later said she fully expected that he would be in court and has no idea why he did not show up after getting a subpoena.

Huron fire Capt. Shawn Williams told the court how they found the two children and confirmed that an “ignitable liquid” was found inside the trailer.

He said there were two points of origin for the fire, one on the porch and another in the living room near the front door.

Williams said burn samples taken from the scene did not come back positive for tiki oil and the fire patterns were not consistent with damage caused by a fire bomb.

He said it appears more of an ignitable liquid was poured inside the trailer than on the outside.

http://www.thenewsherald.com/articles/2010/03/18/none/doc4ba130068f3da105098381.txt?viewmode=fullstory

DETROIT: Mother found competent to stand trial in murder case
Published: Friday, July 16, 2010
By Jackie Harrison-Martin

DETROIT — A trial date for a mother accused of intentionally setting a fire that claimed the lives of two of her children is set for 9 a.m. Oct. 18.

Results from a competency exam made public Thursday say Sharon Hinojosa, 29, is competent to stand trial for the deaths of 3-year-old Alayna and 4-year-old Anthony Hinojosa.

Both died in a 3 a.m. trailer fire in Huron Township Oct. 9, 2009.

Read more about the story in an upcoming edition of The News-Herald Newspapers.

http://www.thenewsherald.com/articles/2010/07/16/none/doc4c409d3ed4fca319835500.txt?viewmode=fullstory

DETROIT: Trial for woman accused of setting mobile home on fire postponed until July
Published: Tuesday, May 10, 2011
By Jackie Harrison-Martin

DETROIT — Competency-related concerns led to the postponement of jury selection and the trial for a Huron Township woman accused of setting a mobile home on fire, killing two of her children.

Jury selection was set to begin in Wayne County Circuit Court on Monday for the trial of Sharon Hinojosa, 29, in the deaths of Alayna Hinojosa, 3, and Anthony Hinojosa, 4.

The case is adjourned until July 18.

According to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, Hinojosa will be evaluated at a forensic center.

Wayne County Circuit Judge Daniel Hathaway will select an independent examiner for the evaluation.

At differing times, police said Hinojosa has been found both incompetent and competent to stand trial. The latest request for a competency evaluation came from the defense team.

Township police were at court Monday expecting the jury selection process to begin.

The children died in an early morning fire Oct. 9, 2009, at Huron Estates Mobile Home Park.

Hinojosa carried another child, her 1-year-old son Aiden, out of the burning home.

Her fourth child was not there.

A township detective began the process of contacting witnesses and informing them of the postponement Monday. According to police, at least 15 witnesses, including fire and police personnel and Hinojosa’s neighbors, were preparing to testify.

Hinojosa was found competent to stand trial after the last evaluation, according to information on the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office website.

Hinojosa, who has been in jail without bond since the children died, faces up to life in prison if convicted.


http://www.thenewsherald.com/articles/2011/05/10/news/doc4dc9972e58689565459508.txt?viewmode=fullstory

Sharon Hinojosa, mom accused of setting fire that killed kids, found competent to stand trial
Published: Friday, March 11, 2011, 5:49 AM Updated: Friday, March 11, 2011, 5:53 AM
The Associated Press By The Associated Press
fire-huron-township-mobile-home-sharon-hinojosa.JPGFox 2Sharon Hinojosa poses in a photograph with Justin Whisler. Anthony Hinojosa (left) and Alayna Hinojosa (right) died in the fire.

A woman accused of setting a trailer fire that killed her 3-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son has been found competent for a trial that's scheduled to begin May 9 in Wayne County Circuit Court.

Sharon Hinojosa (hee-noh-HOH'-sah) is accused of setting a fire Oct. 9, 2009, in her boyfriend's Huron Township trailer, about 20 miles southwest of Detroit. Four-year-old Anthony and 3-year-old Alayna Hinojosa were killed. Authorities say the then-29-year-old woman fled with another child.

Last October, Judge Daniel Hathaway ruled that Hinojosa's confession could be used in the trial.

Hinojosa is charged with felony murder and arson, and faces life in prison without parole if convicted as charged.

Phone and e-mail messages seeking comment were left with defense lawyer Bryan Sherer after business hours Thursday.

http://blog.mlive.com/news/detroit_impact/print.html?entry=/2011/03/sharon_hinojosa_mom_accused_of.html

Judge Allows Mom's Confession In Children's Deaths
Sharon Hinojosa Accused Of Setting Fire That Killed Her 2 Children In 2009

July 22, 2011
DETROIT -- A judge on Friday said the confession of a Michigan mother that she set a mobile home on fire with her children inside would be allowed as evidence in her murder trial.

Sharon Hinojosa is accused of setting fire to her boyfriend's home in Huron Township on Oct. 9, 2009. She got out with her then 1-year-old son, but her 4-year-old son Anthony Hinojosa and 3-year-old daughter Alayna Hinojosa were killed.

She is charged with felony murder and arson. She faces mandatory life in prison if convicted as charged.

Wayne County Circuit Judge Daniel Hathaway found her competent to stand trial, which is scheduled for October.
http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/28637247/detail.html

DETROIT: Court finds mother competent to stand trial in her children’s deaths
Published: Tuesday, July 26, 2011

DETROIT — Results from yet another evaluation for Sharon Hinojosa say she is competent to stand trial in the deaths of two of her four children.

Hinojosa is charged with two counts each of felony murder and second-degree murder, as well as one count of arson, in the Oct. 9, 2009, deaths of 3-year-old Alayna Hinojosa and 4-year-old Anthony Hinojosa.

A new trial date has been set for Oct. 31 in Wayne County Circuit Court.

Hinojosa was first evaluated by the state, which found her competent.

An independent evaluation then was requested by the defense.

The results of that competency evaluation said she was incompetent to stand trial.

The most recent exam, which again found her competent, was through an independent evaluation.

Police are not sure if this is the final competency evaluation, or whether the trial could be delayed yet again.

An early morning fire swept through the mobile home in Huron Township Estates where Hinojosa and her children were staying.

She is accused of deliberately setting the fire.

A preliminary examination of the evidence against her was held before 34th District Judge Brian Oakley early last year.

During that exam, police, family members and several neighbors testified.

Neighbors gave emotional testimony about Hinojosa’s behavior that morning, saying that she was on the telephone a good deal of the time.

One neighbor said Hinojosa sent him and others trying to rescue the children to the wrong side of the mobile home as flames engulfed it.

There was testimony that the children could be heard screaming from the mobile home, but neighbors could not get inside.

According to police, an accelerant was found throughout the mobile home.

The exam also found that Hinojosa told several people different stories as to what was going on at the house at the time of the fire.

Police said Hinojosa originally pointed the finger at her then on-again-off-again boyfriend, Justin Whisler, who owned the trailer.

Whisler is the father of one of Hinojosa’s four children. She carried that child, 1-year-old Adain, out of the trailer.

Hinojosa’s fourth child did not reside with her.

She and Whisler were taken to the police station the morning of the fire and questioned.

Whisler eventually was released, but Hinojosa has been in custody ever since.

Police said that through their questioning of Hinojosa it became evident she was responsible for the fire.

Whisler was expected to be in attendance during the preliminary exam, but he did not show up for court.

Whisler spoke exclusively with The News-Herald Newspapers shortly after the fire, saying that in his heart he couldn’t believe Hinojosa would do such a thing.

Relatives and neighbors said that the couple had a volatile relationship and some said Whisler had asked Hinojosa to leave.

He said he left the home when she didn’t and was seeing someone else.

http://www.thenewsherald.com/articles/2011/07/26/news/doc4e2f23365d494069033324.txt?viewmode=fullstory

Last Updated: October 29. 2011 1:00AM
Wayne briefs: Trial for mom accused in kids' deaths set to start
Detroit
The trial of a Huron Township woman accused of intentionally setting a fire that killed her two toddlers starts Monday in Wayne County Circuit Court before Judge Daniel Hathaway. In July, Sharon Hinojosa was found competent to stand trial in the deaths of her son Anthony, 4, and daughter Alayna, 3, in October 2009. Police allege Hinojosa set the fire in the family's trailer in the 27000 block of Clairet Drive to get back at a boyfriend. She's charged with two counts of felony murder, two counts of second-degree murder and arson.


From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20111029/METRO01/110290363/Wayne-briefs--Trial-for-mom-accused-in-kids’-deaths-set-to-start#ixzz1cSjgaPnQ

Prosecutor: Mother Wanted To Get Rid Of Children
Mother Accused Of Setting Fire That Killed 4-Year-Old, 3-Year-Old
POSTED: Monday, October 31, 2011
UPDATED: 7:06 pm EDT November 1, 2011

DETROIT -- Opening statements began Tuesday in the trial of a Michigan mother who is charged with the deaths of her two children.
Sharon Hinojosa is accused of setting fire to her boyfriend's home in Huron Township on Oct. 9, 2009. She got out with her then 1-year-old son, but her 4-year-old son Anthony Hinojosa and 3-year-old daughter Alayna Hinojosa were killed.
Justin Whistler, the father of the boy who survived, testified that he had tried to break up with Hinojosa and asked her to leave his home.
"I just thought there was no way to try and work it out. I didn't know what else to do. It was just getting out of control," Whistler said.
On the morning of the fire, Whistler said he saw Hinojosa at the scene and she said to him, "Don't worry, your kid's not in there."
Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Lora Weingarden said Hinojosa confided in several people on what she should do to get rid of Anthony and Alayna, who were fathered by a different man.
"She told them, 'I love my boyfriend Justin but he doesn't want my kids. He feels our relationship would be better if they weren't together with the kids. I love him and I don't know what to do,'" Weingarden said. "The truth was, that at about 3:15 in the morning, Sharon Hinojosa set fire to that trailer. She poured a flammable substance on the inside of the front door and then she put a flammable substance on the outside front porch. So, no one could go in and out of that door without being burned."
The defense chose to delay their opening statements.
The 31-year-old is charged with felony murder and arson. She faces mandatory life in prison if convicted as charged.

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/29639963/detail.html

Sides In Mother's Murder Trial Debate Over Evidence
Mother Accused Of Setting Fire That Killed 4-Year-Old, 3-Year-Old
POSTED: Monday, October 31, 2011
UPDATED: 6:02 pm EDT November 2, 2011

DETROIT -- Trial began Tuesday for a Michigan mother who is charged with the deaths of her two children.
Sharon Hinojosa is accused of setting fire to her boyfriend's home in Huron Township on Oct. 9, 2009. She got out with her then 1-year-old son, but her 4-year-old son Anthony Hinojosa and 3-year-old daughter Alayna Hinojosa were killed.
Justin Whistler, the father of the boy who survived, testified that he had tried to break up with Hinojosa and asked her to leave his home.
"I just thought there was no way to try and work it out. I didn't know what else to do. It was just getting out of control," Whistler said.
On the morning of the fire, Whistler said he saw Hinojosa at the scene and she said to him, "Don't worry, your kid's not in there."
Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Lora Weingarden said Hinojosa confided in several people on what she should do to get rid of Anthony and Alayna, who were fathered by a different man.
"She told them, 'I love my boyfriend Justin but he doesn't want my kids. He feels our relationship would be better if they weren't together with the kids. I love him and I don't know what to do,'" Weingarden said. "The truth was, that at about 3:15 in the morning, Sharon Hinojosa set fire to that trailer. She poured a flammable substance on the inside of the front door and then she put a flammable substance on the outside front porch. So, no one could go in and out of that door without being burned."
The defense is also arguing that Hinojosa's Constitutional rights were violated when she was interrogated without being read her Miranda rights. They don't want a five-hour long recording to be allowed in court.
"It's a reasonable person riding in a police car, down to a police station, sitting in the interrogation room, being questioned by police officers. She should have been Miranda-ized," defense attorney Bryan Sherer.
But for the prosecution, Huron Police Officer John Bettendorf said she was not read her Miranda rights because, at the immediate time following the fire, she was not considered a suspect.
"We felt she was a possible victim of a crime. So, we were just trying to find out what the situation was," he said.
The 31-year-old is charged with felony murder and arson. She faces mandatory life in prison if convicted as charged.

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/29639963/detail.html

Hinojosa's Police Interview Heard In Court Monday
Huron Township Mother Accused Of Setting Fire That Killed 2 Children
POSTED: Monday, November 7, 2011
UPDATED: 5:35 pm EST November 7, 2011

DETROIT -- Sharon Hinojosa was questioned by a suspicious detective just a few hours after the fire that killed her two children.
Hinojosa is accused of setting fire to her boyfriend's home in Huron Township on Oct. 9, 2009. She got out with her then 1-year-old son, but her 4-year-old son Anthony Hinojosa and 3-year-old daughter Alayna Hinojosa were killed.
The detective's interview with the mother was heard by a Detroit courtroom Monday.
"I am being honest with you," Hinojosa told the detective. "I was smoking a cigarette. Yes I was smoking a cigarette but it did not catch the house on fire."
She continued to answer the detective's questions and insisted she did not purposely kill the two children.
Prosecutors claim Hinojosa saved the baby, who was father by Justin Whisler who owned the home, but neglected to save the other two children, who had a different father.
Hinojosa told the detective that she tried to save the other kids.
"I swear to God, I didn't try to start the fire," she said during the interview.
She wept in court Monday while listening to the audio tape of the interview.
She said she threw a cigarette on the living room floor where she had used some chemicals to clean. However, fire investigators believe the fire started in another area near the home's front door.
Arson investigators are working to pinpoint the cause of the fire and it's origin in the home.

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/29706793/detail.html

Michigan mother found guilty in children's deaths
Sharon Hinojosa convicted of setting fire to trailer with son, daughter inside

Published On: Nov 09 2011 07:15:59 PM

A mother accused of setting fire to a trailer that had her two children inside was found guilty of murder on Wednesday.

Sharon Hinojosa is accused of setting fire to her boyfriend's home in Huron Township on Oct. 9, 2009. She got out with her then 1-year-old son, but her 4-year-old son Anthony Hinojosa and 3-year-old daughter Alayna Hinojosa were killed.

The defense had argued that the fire was ignited by accident. The prosecution had argued Hinojosa purposely set the fire to mend a relationship with an estranged boyfriend with who fathered her youngest child. Anthony and Alayna had a different father.

"She felt that if she got rid of her older kids, she, and her boyfriend and their baby that they shared in common could be together," said Lora Weingarden.

Hinojosa cried and did not make a statement after the verdict was read.

The murder conviction carries an automatic penalty of life in prison without possibility of parole.

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/Michigan-mother-found-guilty-in-children-s-deaths/-/1719418/4707888/-/3jd286z/-/index.html

DETROIT -- Calling it a "horrendous" crime, a judge sentenced a
Detroit-area mother to life in prison Wednesday for setting a fire that
trapped and killed two of her children in a mobile home.


Sharon Hinojosa says the tragedy in Huron Township was an accident.
But prosecutors accused her of intentionally setting the fire in a bid
to improve her relationship with a boyfriend, the father of another
child who escaped the blaze in Hinojosa's arms.

Wayne County Circuit Judge Daniel Hathaway said Hinojosa's
acts in 2009 "constituted a complete betrayal of what being a mother
stands for."


She was convicted earlier this month of first-degree murder in the
deaths of son Anthony, 4, and daughter Alayna, 3. The judge said it was
"horrendous" and "heinous."


Hinojosa, 31, turned to the courtroom gallery, apologized and said she loved her kids.


"You think you're mourning? I'm mourning, too," she said.


The remarks angered relatives of the victims who moments earlier told
the judge about the impact on their lives. Alayna's grandmother, Denise
Jones, said it was "cowardly" for Hinojosa to "disregard these children
like a bag of garbage."


She said she hopes Hinojosa in prison hears her children asking, "What did we do to you?" to deserve an awful death.


Hinojosa's attorney, Bryan Sherer, declined to comment.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/01/sharon-hinojosa-sentenced-to-life_n_1122762.html