The trial of a Rochester woman accused of deliberately setting a house fire that killed a 5-year-old boy is underway. So far, testimony in the prcoeedings is capturing the chaos of the night in question.
Prosecutors say 32-year-old Taquida Hendrix set the blaze in the early hours of July 29, 2024. Flames spread quickly from the front porch into the two-story home, trapping 5-year-old Malakai Stovall on the second floor. By the time firefighters reached him, Malakai had suffered catastrophic burns. He was placed on a ventilator and died three days later in the hospital. Two firefighters were injured in the rescue effort.
On the second day of the trial, jurors heard testimony from the boy’s babysitter, 20-year-old Toni Kendrick, who had been staying in the house with him that night. Kendrick told the court she woke to smoke choking the room and realized she couldn’t breathe. She recalled stumbling in the dark, yelling Malakai’s name as flames spread across the staircase leading to his bedroom.
Her desperate 911 call was played for the jury: “Hurry up!” she begged the dispatcher. “I can’t get to him!”
Assistant District Attorney Kevin Sunderland told jurors the call was played not for shock, but to help them understand what those moments were truly like. “We want them to hear what people were feeling in those moments and what was actually being said, because I think it paints a truer picture of the horrible chaos that existed when that fire is happening,” he said.
Hendrix has been charged with murder and arson. Her sister, 29-year-old Tiakayla Hendrix, and another man, Roy Chambers, pleaded guilty last month to second-degree arson for their roles in the case. Both are awaiting sentencing later this month.
The prosecution is expected to call around 30 witnesses, including first responders who rushed into the inferno that morning. On the opening day of the trial, firefighters and police officers described their arrival at the burning home and their efforts to save the boy.
For Rochester, the trial reopens a painful wound. Malakai’s death left neighbors shaken, with many recalling the frantic scene as smoke poured out of the house and rescuers fought their way inside. The trial is expected to last several weeks, and prosecutors say they hope it will bring long-delayed accountability for the boy’s death.
