Deadly Milwaukee Fire Leads to Woman Being Convicted of Manslaughter

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

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 the prison sentence, Adams was sentenced to nine years of extended supervision.

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Milwaukee firefighters were called to a home near 29th and Bobolink on July 11, 2023. When they arrived, a criminal complaint states, they spotted flames coming from the upper unit — and a male voice yelling “help.”

Firefighters searched and cleared the first floor and basement of the home, according to the complaint, meaning the person who called for help was likely on the second floor. Crews were unable to access the second floor due to the intensity of the fire.

According to prosecutors, the fire captain said his face shield and the facade of the house melted due to the intense heat. Firefighters eventually found the victim, identified as Anthony Winters, in a bedroom in the upper unit.

According to the complaint, officers found Adams sitting directly across from the burning house. She admitted she was inside the house and living there when the fire started, but claimed the victim was not inside.

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Police spoke to a witness at the scene. According to the complaint, the witness reported seeing a woman “come out of the area of ​​the residence, cross the street and sit on the rocks.” The witness told investigators the woman said “I set the house on fire” before she began laughing — and added that there was a “blind man in there … that’s what he gets.”

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

When police asked Adams why the fire happened, the complaint says she told them it was “due to domestic violence.” She gave different versions of how the fire started, but ultimately admitted to starting it.

Adams told police the victim was sleeping on a mattress, which she lit on fire with a lighter, prosecutors said. She told the victim to “get out and put the fire out” before running out the door. She allegedly did this to scare the victim “because of the domestic violence she had suffered earlier that day.”