Man accused of setting deadly West Side fire in court Monday

CHICAGO — A preliminary hearing is scheduled Monday for the man accused of setting a deadly fire that claimed the lives of four people in the city’s Austin neighborhood.

Lontray Clark, 23, is facing more than a dozen criminal charges, including four felony counts of first-degree murder.

He was denied pre-trial release over the weekend.

The fire happened at around 2 a.m. on June 26, at an apartment building located in the 5200 block of West North Avenue in Austin.

Prosecutors say Clark saw a photo on Snapchat of a woman he used to date inside his friend’s apartment. Clark then allegedly filled an anti-freeze container with gasoline and bought a mask and long-sleeved shirt before setting the building on fire.

The man and woman Clark allegedly targeted survived.

Cook County coroners identified the four victims as 32-year-old Gina Henry, her 5-year-old son Jayceon Henry, 28-year-old Destiny Henry, and 76-year-old Brad Cummings.

Clark was arrested in Springfield on July 10.

He also has a prior felony conviction related to a firearms offense. Clark’s public defender says he has a three-month-old and claims she hasn’t seen video identifying him near the scene.