Pregnant Woman, Husband And Infant Son Died In Saturday Blaze In Oak Forest

CBS 

MARKHAM, IL. (CBS) ― Prosecutors say a 57-year-old man set a fire that killed his daughter, her husband and their 3-year-old son because the son-in-law came from a "lower caste system" and had not asked him for the daughter's hand in marriage.

Subhash Chander was ordered held without bond Tuesday in a hearing before Judge Martin McDonough at the Markham Courthouse. He is accused of burning his pregnant daughter Monika Rani, 22; her husband Rajesh Kumar, 30; their son Vansh, and their unborn child.

Chander was charged Monday night with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of intentional homicide of an unborn child in the Oak Forest blaze. The fire that gutted a 36-unit building was set Saturday night at the Le Claire Station Apartments in Oak Forest.

Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Robert Milan said considering how many people the fire put in danger, it could have been one of the largest homicides in American history.