A Chicago man is facing serious charges after allegedly setting an apartment building on fire, killing four people—including a pregnant woman and her young son—all over a jealousy-fueled reaction to a Snapchat post.
Prosecutors say 23-year-old Lontray Clark snapped when he saw a selfie of his ex-girlfriend posted from inside his friend’s apartment. The picture was enough to push him over the edge, according to CBS News, and what happened next was nothing short of devastating.
That night, around 12:20 a.m., Clark and his cousin went to a gas station, where Clark filled an old antifreeze container with gasoline. From there, they headed to the apartment where his ex was spending the night with his friend. Surveillance footage reportedly shows Clark pulling into an alley behind the building. Just over an hour later, at 1:23 a.m., video captured him sprinting back to his car, where his cousin waited. Prosecutors say he then drove to his grandfather’s home and threw out his clothes.
While Clark’s ex-girlfriend and her friend managed to escape the flames, the fire quickly tore through the rest of the building.
Four people lost their lives: 76-year-old Brad Cummings, 32-year-old Regina Henry—who family members say was three months pregnant—her 5-year-old son Jayceon, and Regina’s 28-year-old sister, Destiny Henry. Firefighters found Brad, Regina, and Jayceon in the burning building and rushed them to the hospital, but they were pronounced dead shortly after. Destiny’s body was found the next day.
Tragically, Destiny’s 4-year-old son Kyle was also injured and remains in critical condition. According to ABC7, Destiny had actually made it out of the building alive but ran back in, desperately trying to find her son.
Latyra Goodman, a relative, shared through tears, “If my cousin would’ve known that her son was already out of the window, she probably would still be here right now.” She added, “We just ask you all please keep the family in your prayers.”
In total, four people died, and four others were hospitalized as a result of the fire. Prosecutors allege Clark acted out of jealousy, setting the fire because his ex-girlfriend had moved on and was with someone he knew.
He now faces a long list of charges: four counts of first-degree murder, four counts of aggravated arson, two counts of attempted murder, and one count of residential arson, according to the Chicago Tribune.
During his first court appearance, the judge ordered that Clark be held in jail without bond while awaiting trial. The judge reportedly described the fire as an act showing a “brazen disregard for life.”