Prosecutors: Fire that killed man and 3 young girls set because man upset he did not get sex for his $10

Jeff Mayes — Thu, 15 Sep 2016 11:45:59 -0500

By RUMMANA HUSSAIN
Chicago Sun-Times Wire

Reginald Hester | Chicago Police

Reginald Hester told detectives he was angry that a woman who agreed to perform sex acts on him in exchange for $10 took his money and never returned.

So he decided to “scare the b—-” and set her South Chicago building on fire, Cook County prosecutors said Wednesday.

The woman escaped and called 911, giving police a description of “Church,” the man she knew as selling loose cigarettes in the neighborhood.

But before it was over, Hester’s fiery handiwork claimed the lives of four others, including three young sisters, Assistant State’s Attorney Becky Walters said.

Madison Watson | Facebook

Hester, 51, was ordered held without bond on charges of four counts of murder and two counts of aggravated arson.

Madison Watson, 4; and her half-sister Shaniya Staples, 7, burned to death that morning in a third-floor apartment of the three-story, courtyard building in the 8100 block of South Essex.

Madison’s sister, 4-month-old Melanie Watson, died from the injuries she suffered when their father jumped out of the building holding onto Melanie to escape the flames Aug. 23, Walters said.

Melanie Watson | Facebook

The 33-year-old man survived, but suffered a broken pelvis and foot, and burns to his back, left arm and face, Walters said. His wife was at work at the time of the fire.

Firefighters were called at 1:34 a.m. and found the building engulfed in flames.

Kirk Johnson, 56, who lived in another third-floor apartment in the building, also died from the fire.

A 49-year-old resident who lived below Johnson jumped from a window and ended up with a broken ankle and wrist, Walters said.

Hester, who lives in the 8000 block of South Essex with his brother, was questioned immediately after the fire. Officers recovered a lighter from Hester and noticed that he smelled of smoke, Walters said.

Shaniya Staples | Facebook

Still, Hester was released “pending further investigation.”

Hester was arrested again Tuesday in the first block of South Waller.

The woman who had called the authorities said she saw Hester at 79th and Essex sometime after midnight the day of the deadly fire.

She said she agreed to perform the sex act with Hester, but believed he already owed her $10, Walters said.

The woman said she directed Hester to the back door of her apartment building where there were several large cardboard boxes, an old couch, a barbecue grill and a container of lighter fluid, Walters said.

She then took Hester’s $10, told him she’d be back with condoms, and closed her back door, Walters said.

The woman never came back out and Hester started banging on the woman’s door.

Soon, the woman noticed smoke coming from her back door but was able to flee through the front door.

She told police that Hester was wearing a red sweater and black pants, and told them where his mother lived, Walters said.

One of the surviving victims said he heard banging coming from the building shortly after 1 a.m. and noticed a person wearing a red shirt walking away, Walters said.

Kirk Johnson | Facebook

That day, the lock to the front door of the building was inoperable, allowing access to the building without a key, Walters said.

Chicago Fire Department investigators noted the fire originated on the rear porch and interior stairway, then spread upward, causing extensive damage through the roof and third-floor apartments, Walters said.

Authorities believe an unknown flammable liquid was used to start the fire.

Hester has five previous convictions for a weapons arrest and several drug cases.

He is also the subject of two orders of protection and has previously violated one, Walters told Judge Peggy Chiampas.

Hester is a 1982 graduate of Von Steuben High School, has five children and is self-employed as a landscaper, an assistant public defender said.

Man charged with murder for allegedly setting fire that left three children and man dead in South Chicago

Jeff Mayes — Wed, 14 Sep 2016 11:16:30 -0500

By STEFANO ESPOSITO, ASHLEE REZIN, MITCH DUDEK, ANDY GRIMM, JORDAN OWEN and LUKE WILUSZ

Reginald Hester | Chicago Police

A man has been charged with murder and arson for the apartment building fire that left four people, including three children, dead three weeks ago in the South Chicago neighborhood.

Reginald Hester, 51, faces four counts of first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated arson causing bodily harm, according to Chicago Police.

The blaze was reported at 1:36 a.m. Aug. 23 in a three-story, courtyard apartment building in the 8100 block of South Essex, according to the Chicago Fire Department. It was later upgraded to a three-alarm fire.

Melanie Watson | Facebook

Fire officials reported heavy fire on the second and third floors, and the building’s stairwells were deemed impassable.

A 3-month-old girl who lived in the building, Melanie Watson, was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 2:40 a.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. An autopsy showed she died from injuries from a fall from height, and smoke inhalation

Shaniya Staples | Facebook

The other victims—Madison Watson, 4; Shaniya Staples, 7; and Kirk Johnson, 56—were found dead inside the building after the fire was extinguished. Autopsies have ruled they died of burns and smoke inhalation.

All four deaths were ruled homicides, according to the medical examiner’s office.

Madison Watson | Facebook

The children were found in one apartment, but were not together, fire officials said at the time. Johnson was in a different apartment. All were on the third floor.

A 45-year-old man was taken in serious-to-critical condition to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, authorities said. Witnesses at the scene told reporters the man jumped from a third-floor window with Melanie Watson in his arms. Another injured man, 36, was taken to South Shore Hospital in fair-to-serious condition, fire officials said.

Kirk Johnson | Facebook

Hester, who lives in the 8000 block of South Essex, was questioned immediately after the blaze, but was released two days later. He was arrested again about 11:40 a.m. Tuesday in the first block of South Waller.

He was scheduled to appear in bond court Wednesday.

The building, managed at the time by Villa Capital Properties, failed an annual inspection in November 2015 from the city’s Department of Buildings, according to city records. Inspectors issued building code citations in part because they couldn’t access “most dwelling units” to verify smoke detectors and conditions. Also, mice droppings were found in one apartment, a porch was found to be defective or missing parts, and a stairway needed repairs.

A spokesman for Villa Capital Properties said the building was sold in April. Property records on file with the Cook County Recorder indicate the building was sold to EquityBuild in April and that the company took out a $3.3 million mortgage on the property in April.

John Landry, general counsel for EquityBuild, said Tuesday morning he was unaware of the fire and declined comment. Joel Feingold, who identified himself as a sales consultant for EquityBuild, also said he had not heard about the fire, but expressed sympathy for tenants.

Reginald Hester | Homicide Watch Chicago

Prosecutors: Fire that killed man and 3 young girls set because man upset he did not get sex for his $10

Man charged with murder for allegedly setting fire that left three children and man dead in South Chicago