Joliet Teenagers Face Murder Charges After Deadly Fire

JOLIET, IL - Three teenagers were charged Thursday with murder and arson stemming from last month's horrendous fire that killed an 11-month-old girl and two women. Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow announced that six counts of first-degree murder were filed against Andy Cerros, 17, Manuel A. Escamilla, 18, and Eric J. Raya, 18. The three Joliet residents also face one count of attempted first-degree murder and three counts of arson, Glasgow said.

All three teenagers were in custody on unrelated crimes. All three men had their bond set at a $10 million.

The June 3 fire claimed the lives of Regina Rogers, 28, her 11-month-old daughter, Royalty Rogers, and Jacquetta Rogers, 29.

"These charges reflect the dogged determination these detectives and their entire division demonstrate on every single case they handle," Glasgow said in a statement. "They literally leave no stone unturned when it comes to protecting the citizens of Joliet."

The suspected arson broke out shortly before 2 a.m. When Joliet firefighters arrived, the structure was fully engulfed with flames. Inside, firefighters found the bodies of the two women and the baby on the second floor.

The house on North Center Street.

According to Glasgow, Thursday's murder and arson charges stemmed from an intensive six-week-long criminal probe led by the Joliet Police Department. Glasgow made it a point to highlight the work of Joliet police detectives Jim Voudrie, Tizo Landeros, Jeff German, Jose Martinez and Darrell Gavin "for their dedication and hard work."

According to the State's Attorney, Cerros, Escamilla and Raya are accused of discharging a flare gun at the house in the unit block of North Center Street, resulting in the three fire deaths. The attempted murder charge that was filed on Thursday accused the teens of discharging the flare gun with the intention of killing a man who narrowly escaped from the blaze without being hurt.

Erik J. Raya, 18

Manuel Escamilla, 18

Joliet Patch will be posting updates to this breaking story later today.

Mugshots of Raya, Escamilla via Will County Sheriff's Department

Image of house via Joliet Patch Editor John Ferak