Triple Murder Charges Dismissed In Eric Raya's Plea

JOLIET, IL — For two years and two months, Joliet resident Eric Raya has remained locked away from the community in Will County's Jail, facing multiple counts of first-degree murder. Joliet Police arrested Raya and two others for the June 3, 2017, early morning arson on North Center Street that killed two women and an 11-month-old baby. On Wednesday, Judge Daniel Kennedy learned that the Will County State's Attorney's Office of James Glasgow was dismissing all of Raya's first-degree murder charges.

Raya, now 20, pleaded guilty to the much lesser included offense of obstruction of justice, as well as an unrelated charge of aggravated battery. Hours after the fatal fire, Raya got into a fight with someone in the parking lot of the New Lenox Walmart.

"The bottom line I want everyone to know is that Eric Raya, at no point in time, was responsible for the deaths of the three victims," remarked downtown Joliet criminal lawyer Jeff Tomczak of The Tomczak Group.

The June 3, 2017, fire on Joliet's near west side engulfed the structure, claiming three lives: Regina Rogers, 28, her 11-month-old daughter, Royalty Rogers, and Jacquetta Rogers, 29.

The intended target of the fire, which was started with a flare gun, was Joliet gang member Rakeem "Rocky" Venson, formerly of Milwaukee, who managed to escape the fire while everyone else inside the house perished, Joliet Patch previously reported.

Tomczak said that Raya, then 18, was actually asleep inside of the Chrysler Pacifica of co-defendants Andy Cerros, then 17, and Manuel A. Escamilla, 18, when Raya was suddenly awakened from his slumber by the pops of the flare gun being discharged.

"He saw Andy Cerros holding the plastic flare gun. He also heard Andy Cerros admitting that he had shot the flare through the second story of the residence," Tomczak said.

After the deadly arson, Escamilla and Cerros were responsible for concealing the flare gun to make sure the Joliet Police did not find it, Tomczak explained, noting that the gun was never recovered by police.

(Article continues below this photo of Eric Raya.)

According to Raya's lawyer, his client has agreed to be available to testify if the murder cases against Andy Cerros and Manuel A. Escamilla ever go to trial.

While Raya was living in the jail, he took measures to improve his life, obtaining his GED, Tomczak said, and Raya will receive good time credit for spending the past 26 months in custody. Tomczak said his client will probably serve a roughly 60-day stint in the custody of the Illinois Department of Corrections, meaning Raya should be back living in Joliet later this fall.