4 people died after a man set fire to an apartment after seeing his ex and a close friend

Chicago– Authorities say a man set fire to an apartment after seeing his ex and a close friend post their new relationship on social media.

Cook County prosecutors said 23-year-old Lontray Clark set the fire after learning his ex-girlfriend was possibly dating his friend.

Lontray Clark has been charged with arson and murder in connection with a fire that killed four people – including a pregnant woman, her sister, and her son – last month in the Austin neighborhood on the West Side of Chicago.

He has been charged with eight counts of murder, four counts of aggravated arson, two counts of attempted murder, and one count of residential arson.

A total of four people died — including Brad Cummings, 76, the editor of the Austin neighborhood-based The Voice newspaper. Also killed were Destiny, Regina, and Jayceon Henry — ages 28, 32, and 5, respectively. Jayceon was Regina Henry’s son, while Destiny was Regina’s sister.

A family member said Regina Henry was three months pregnant at the time of her death. 

At Clark’s first court appearance on Saturday, Cook County prosecutors said that Clark texted his ex-girlfriend after seeing she had posted a selfie on Snaptchat from inside his friend’s apartment. Clark implied he knew the two had started dating.

Clark’s ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend later went to sleep in the boyfriend’s apartment in the 5200 block of West North Avenue around midnight, according to prosecutors.

Meantime, around 12:20 a.m. the next day, Clark drove to pick up his cousin a few blocks away, and the two drove to a nearby BP gas station, where Clark filled up a yellow antifreeze container with gasoline, prosecutors said.

The two then drove to a nearby convenience store, where Clark bought a black shirt, a mask, and a lighter.