By Adam Brandolph

Published: Friday, January 18, 2013, 4:46 p.m.
Updated: Friday, January 18, 2013

The mother of 3-year-old twins killed in a fire in their North Braddock home will be given criminal charges, District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. said on Friday.

Dalawna Berran-Lett, 32, will be charged with two counts each of involuntary manslaughter and recklessly endangering her children, Zappala said.

The bodies of Berran-Lett's two boys, Kyier and Dyier Arthur, were found Jan. 4 among the smoldering ruins of the family's home at Rebecca Avenue and 13th Street.

The boys died from smoke inhalation, burns and carbon monoxide poisoning, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office said.

Witnesses called 911 about 3:30 p.m. Jan. 4 when they noticed flames shooting from the windows and smoke pouring from the house.

Zappala said Berran-Lett left the home for 52 minutes because she was looking for her 15-year-old daughter, who apparently took a small bag of marijuana from her purse.

The twins had a history of using the stove to cook food for themselves, Zappala said. The grease fire quickly engulfed the wood frame house, he said.

“It took 15 minutes for the grease to ignite and 15 minutes for the house to catch fire,” the prosecutor said.

The boys' funeral is set for Saturday.

Adam Brandolph is a staff writerfor Trib Total Media. He canbe reached at 412-391-0927or abrandolph@tribweb.com.

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