‘He touched so many hearts:’ Family of 5-year-old who died after Rochester house fire holds vigil

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — The family of five-year-old Malakai Stovall continues to search for answers as to who caused the fire being investigated by Rochester Police as arson.

Malakai died from injuries sustained in the fire Thursday.

Just two weeks ago, 5-year-old Malakai Stovall was on his way to go celebrate his Granddads birthday at the aquarium with his Grandma Karen. She told News 8 they hung out all the time always headed on an adventure.

“He was a kid that wasn’t afraid of anything. We went to BMW for an oil change. And he picked out his first car. And he even got a sales representative while I was in the waiting room and asked if he could get in the car,” Karen said.

Karen lives in Massachusetts — a distance she says, was never too far. Malakai would stay with her frequently, always excited for the activities they had planned.

Malakai was brought to his mom’s house in Rochester last week. Karen last talked to him on the phone Sunday. “It was his granddad’s birthday, and at 10:30, he called me. He said, ‘Tell granddad Happy Birthday!’ And he asked me, he said, ‘Grandma, can you bring my new chair?’ I said, ‘Sure.’ He said, ‘Are you coming tonight?’ I said ‘No, baby.’ ‘Why don’t you come?’ And I said, ‘I don’t know. But I’ll see you soon.’ I wish I had come, because hours later, they took my baby. I remember he said, ‘Grandma, I love you. Can I hang up now?’ Because he likes to hang up first. And I said ‘Go ahead and hang up baby. I love you too. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.’

Hours after hanging up the phone, police say several people intentionally started a fire outside of Malakai’s mom’s house on Portland Avenue Monday morning. More than 75 percent of Malakai’s body was burned. He was on a ventilator for three days before dying on Thursday.

“These people that did this. Just turn yourselves in. Give us a break. Give us a break, please,” Karen said.

Malakai’s mom, Bri, was not home at the time of the fire. Malakai was staying with a babysitter. Bri and Karen told me they will not rest until they know who did this.

“I want to talk today to ask for help from the public for the 800th time and for someone to come forward and to tell me who murdered my child. I cannot grieve. I cannot sleep,” Bri Akers, Malakai’s mom said.

“I will take it to my grave. To my grave. I will make sure you all pay and I will take this pain to my grave. Justice for Malakai, for Brianna, for me, for everybody, my husband, my children who lost their nephew, my parents who lost a baby. I will take it to my grave. I will never rest until you’re all caught. Never. Never,” Karen said.

As a reminder, the ATF is offering a $5,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of the people who caused the fire that night. Anyone with information is asked to call RPD’s Major Crimes Section at (585) 428-7157.

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