A 23-year-old man, jealous that his pal and ex-girlfriend have been relationship, allegedly hurled Molotov cocktails into an Austin condominium constructing and triggered a fireplace that killed 4 individuals, together with a pregnant lady and her younger son, Prepare dinner County prosecutors stated in courtroom Saturday.
Lontray Clark was arrested in Springfield Thursday and charged with 19 felonies, together with first-degree homicide, tried first-degree homicide and aggravated arson. Prepare dinner County Decide Shauna Boliker ordered him detained till trial Saturday afternoon.
Jayceon Henry, 5; his mom, Regina Brown Henry, 32, who was three months pregnant; and her sister, Future Brown Henry, 28, have been killed within the hearth. Brad Cummings, 76, an editor for The Voice Newspapers, additionally died.
4 individuals have been additionally injured, together with a 4-year-old boy who stays within the hospital intubated after struggling a head trauma and extreme burns to his face and physique, prosecutors stated. A 65-year-old lady was additionally hospitalized after breaking her pelvis. A 23-year-old lady and a 30-year-old man have been additionally injured and have since been launched from the hospital.
Clark allegedly set the condominium constructing at 5222 W. North Ave. on hearth round 2 a.m. on June 26. He did so after studying his ex-girlfriend was relationship his pal. His pal lived on the second ground of the constructing and the girl was staying with him that evening, prosecutors stated. Each survived the fireplace.
After Clark discovered the 2 have been relationship, he picked up his cousin late on June 25. The 2 went to a BP fuel station the place Clark crammed a yellow antifreeze bottle with gasoline, which prosecutors say was captured on surveillance video. The 2 then went to a Carlos Meals retailer and acquired a black long-sleeve shirt, a face masks and a lighter.
They then drove to an alleyway close to the condominium constructing on North Avenue. Clark’s cousin stayed within the automobile whereas Clark left with the antifreeze bottle. Safety footage from the alley reveals them and their automobile, prosecutors stated.
He later ran again to the automobile with out the yellow bottle and advised his cousin, “I simply lit the home on hearth,” in keeping with witness testimony from the cousin. The 2 then drove to their grandfather’s home, the place Clark threw out his garments.
Clark’s public defender stated in courtroom that there isn’t any surveillance footage that reveals Clark on the scene of the fireplace or reveals him setting the fireplace. Clark doesn’t have a violent legal historical past. He served 30 months in an Illinois jail for possessing a firearm with a revoked FOID card in 2021.
Three of the useless victims have been discovered the day of the fireplace, however firefighters needed to take away the constructing’s roof to seek out the fourth sufferer.
“The defendant did this understanding individuals have been residence on the time, fairly probably of their beds, unaware of the destruction occurring round them put collectively by the defendant’s arms as his anger rose,” Boliker stated in courtroom.
