CHICAGO (AP) – A man accused of killing three children and an adult in a 2016 arson fire in Chicago has died while awaiting trial.
Cook County prosecutors say Reginald Hester was angered over a deal for sex a woman reneged on when he set fire to the rear porch and interior stairway of an apartment building. The fire trapped many residents in their apartments, causing the death of children ages 3 months, 4 and 7, along with a 56-year-old man. The 3-month-old died when her father jumped from the third floor with the girl in his arms.
A Cook County sheriff’s office spokesman Cara Smith says the 53-year-old Hester was terminally ill and was transferred from jail to Stroger Hospital, where he died late Tuesday.
Prosecutors say before setting the fire he offered a woman living in the building $10 for sex. She allegedly took the money and reneged on the deal.
