Two men were charged Monday with first-degree murder and arson in the deaths of a woman and her 4-year-old daughter, described by police as innocent bystanders in an attack that leveled their Joliet home over the weekend.
At least one other person is being sought in the attack, which apparently was carried out in retaliation against a boy who lived in the house or friends who often visited.
The suspects broke a first-floor window in the home in the 400 block of Madeleine Street, then tossed in a Molotov cocktail about 2 a.m. Saturday, police said.
Two boys, ages 12 and 14, were on the first floor of the house and escaped with minor injuries. Their mother, Lourdes Nunez, 35, and their younger sister, Maray, were upstairs and died in the ensuing fire. A 15-year-old girl who lived in the house was not home at the time.
Juan Santana, 26, of the 200 block of Illinois Street in Joliet was ordered held without bail at a hearing in the Will County Courthouse. Prosecutors said he has a history of arson.
Sergio Anguiano, 22, of the 800 block of Summit Street in Joliet was ordered held in lieu of $1 million bail. Both men are charged with four counts of first-degree murder and aggravated arson.
Neighbors said the house, which was torn down after the fire because it was structurally unsound, had been a magnet for teenagers who would congregate there or walk up and down the street.
Police Chief David Gerdes said the two suspects had some involvement with gangs, but he said the precise motive for the attack was unclear.
“There was some bickering back and forth between some of the individuals who hung around the house and acquaintances of the people we have under arrest,” Gerdes said. “We don’t know the specific motive. It has the appearance of being somewhat gang-related.”
Last August, the house was hit by a Molotov cocktail, and in October a nearby house was struck by a flammable device.
Gang experts noted that while cases of retaliation happen often, the Joliet story resonates because innocent people were killed.
“The victims aren’t your stereotypical victims of gang violence,” said David Olson, chairman of the criminal justice department at Loyola University Chicago.
Gerdes said the community has to work together to combat gang violence because police cannot be everywhere. This case, which he said was solved so quickly because of a high level of cooperation from the community, would remind people that they must come forward more often with information about crimes.
Authorities quickly tracked a vehicle that was used in the crime and that other people helped lead police to at least one suspect, he said. Both men were arrested Sunday night.
“It appears the mother was a very hard-working individual who was probably away from the home [a lot of the time], and some people took advantage of that situation,” Gerdes said.
Neighbors across the street said they would often call police for minor infractions, and they urged their neighbors and officials to get involved more often.
“Last time we called the police, they didn’t even show up,” said Jacque Huey, who lives across from the Nunez home. “The problem is, enough people in the community do not get involved. They’re afraid.”
Huey also said the schools must offer anti-gang educational programs at a younger age, and she feared that such programs were underfunded.
On Monday afternoon, as curious onlookers drove by the pile of rubble that was the house and television crews continued to report on the crime, another neighbor told a group of teenagers to stop playing football in front of the house. Magaly Quinones, who lives across the street from the Nunez home, believed the game was a sign of disrespect for the people who died there.
The teenagers tossed the ball around a few more times, then began to drift away.
“Parents and relatives have to get involved,” Quinones said. “These single moms, they should reach out for help.”
