Jaymee_
05-21-2007, 07:16 PM
The man police say set fire to a Quincy home, killing the five children inside, could face the death penalty. 27-year-old Zachary Meeks is accused of setting fire to the home of his cousin, Jeanette Clark, early Sunday morning.
All 5 of Keith and Jeanette Clark's children were inside the home at 428 North 7th...they all died of smoke inhalation. They include 10-year-old Kendall Edwards, 9-year-old Althea Clark, 7-year-old Cameron Clark, 5-year-old Khalil Clark, and 5-month-old Kejuan Clark. Funeral arrangements for the children are pending at the Duker and Haugh Funeral Home.
Neither parent was at home when the fire started. Neighbors have told us the Clarks were at a party at the Casino Starlight, a Quincy nightclub, and apparently had been in an argument with Zachary Meeks there.
Adams County prosecutors Monday charged Meeks with 15 counts of murder in the deaths of the five children. State's Attorney Jon Barnard says Zachary Meeks is charged with three counts of murder for each of the five victims. Meeks also is charged with aggravated arson and arson.
That's three murder charges for each victim. Here's why, according to the man who will prosecute the case, Adams County State's Attorney Jon Barnard. The first count is based on the allegation that Meeks knew there was a strong probability his actions would cause death or great bodily harm. The second and third counts charge Meeks caused the deaths while committing a forcible felony. In this case, the felonies are arson and aggravated arson.
Barnard said, "So, what we've done as to each victim is charge the defendant with committing an act, allegedly setting fire to the building at 428 north 7th and that in the course of committing that act a person died. Actually, as we know, unfortunately, five children."
Barnard says he'll decide sometime later whether he will seek the death penalty against Meeks, who remains jailed on 5 million dollars bond.
So far, investigators will only say they suspect arson in the case, but they haven't confirmed how the fire was set. The state fire marshal's report should be in later this week.
During a brief court appearance Monday, Meeks was appointed a public defender Ed Downey.
How is his (Meeks) demeanor?
"He's quiet, but he's only been here overnight," Adams County Sheriff Brent Fischer said. "we have him in solitary confinement."
Zachary Meeks isn't the only one under investigation. The Department of Child and Family Services is investigating Keith and Jeanette Clark in a child neglect case. An anonymous caller contacted a DCFS hotline to alert the agency that the 5 children were left alone here in the early hours when the fire started. No formal charges have been made at this time.
The Illinois Department of Corrections says Meeks has several previous felony drug arrests. He was released from prison in December.
We did some checking with the Adams County Circuit Clerk's Office to see what kind of other crimes Zach Meeks has either been charged with or pleaded guilty to over the last 10 years. Meeks was sentenced to the Illinois Department of Corrections in May of 2005 on a felony drug charge and was released from prison this past December. In June of 2002, Meeks pleaded guilty to a charge of manufacture and distribution of a look-alike substance and was ordered to spend six months in jail and was put on probation for two and a half years. And in 2002, he was sentenced to two and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to a charge of aggravated battery in a public place. He also had several guilty pleas to resisting arrest in 2000, 2001, 2004 and again in 2005.
The Quincy Fire Department responded to the fire at 428 North Seventh Street early Sunday morning. They arrived at 3:09 a.m. after a neighbor made a 9-1-1 call. Jim Hills says he called 9-1-1 3:06 a.m to report the fire Sunday morning.
This is what he heard.
Hills said, "I had just laid down and heard an explosion and I looked out the window and the front door was on fire. I ran out of the house and started to knock on the window to get people up and I saw nobody in there. I heard a poof, it sounded like gasoline exploding. I looked out the window and saw the door on fire with flames coming out."
Seventeen firefighters arrived on the scene at 3:09 a.m. and got the fire under control in minutes.
Two of the children were found in the bathroom, another two near a window in a bedroom, and the fifth was found near an exit.
Quincy Fire Chief Scott Walker said, "There was a woman injured in the fire who attempted to make entry. She attempted to crawl into a window and sustained burns. She managed to push past firefighters and apparently made an attempt in a sense of panic."
Meeks, 27, of Quincy was the only suspect in the fire at 428 North 7th street. He was involved in an incident later in the day and Quincy Police apprehended him.
Quincy Police Chief Rob Copley said, "We responded to a call of an altercation at a residence. Upon arrival that's where he was located. He was assaulted by other individuals. That part of this investigation is ongoing."
One of the most touching parts of this tragedy was the lengths neighbors and the children's parents went through to attempt to save their children. We spoke with one neighbor who was first on the scene and broke the windows of the home with his bare hands to rescue the children. Other neighbors said the parents of the children braved the flames to save their kids.
Jeanette Clark, the mother of the children was treated and released from Blessing Hospital. Father Keith Clark was transferred to Memorial Medical Center in Springfield for treatment of his severe burns. He was released from the hospital Tuesday afternoon.
The family of the five children are not the only ones grieving. The entire neighborhood community of this family tell us their neighborhood will never be the same.
Neighbor Sue Johnson said, "I was horrified because I can still visualize those kids playing in that yard and in the street. They were well-behaved, nice kids."
Some of the people in this neighborhood who will miss these children the most are their friends they played with in these streets and yards...
James Calmese lived next door and played football with Kendall.
He said, "I'm going to have somebody to see, I love to play video games and I'm going to miss having someone to ring the doorbell and seeing if I want to go outside and play with him."
Fatima Calmese says she and Althea spent much of their time together around the neighborhood. She says school without Althea will never be the same.
She said, "I have a lot of friends at school but she was like a little sister to me."
Darius and Dannika Lilly will also miss their friends they used to visit here.
Darius Lilly said, "What are you going to miss about Kendall. He played at my house and played basketball and stayed all night."
Dannika Lilly said, "She always went to Sunday School with us and stayed all night with us."
According to neighbors we talked to, no matter what questions are in the air about the events surrounding the deaths of these children, every neighbor agrees they will be missed and are angels that are on their way back to heaven.
Other people grieving right now include the family's church family. The family attended the First Baptist Church every Sunday.
Several of the children were students in the Quincy Public School District. Kendall Edwards and Althea Clark attended Baldwin School. 7-year-old Cameron Clark attended Washington School and Khalil Clark went to the Early Childhood Center in Quincy.
Superintendent Tom Leahy says the district plans to bring grief counselors into the schools tomorrow and throughout the week to help students deal with the tragedy and the loss of their friends.
"Whatever you can do to help them through this. It's a terrible loss to try to cope with, so we just need to give them support to help them through it," said Leahy
Here is my question: Who is more to blame; the guy who started the fire or the parents of the children? The parents were not home.. 5 children all under the age of 10 were home alone.
All 5 of Keith and Jeanette Clark's children were inside the home at 428 North 7th...they all died of smoke inhalation. They include 10-year-old Kendall Edwards, 9-year-old Althea Clark, 7-year-old Cameron Clark, 5-year-old Khalil Clark, and 5-month-old Kejuan Clark. Funeral arrangements for the children are pending at the Duker and Haugh Funeral Home.
Neither parent was at home when the fire started. Neighbors have told us the Clarks were at a party at the Casino Starlight, a Quincy nightclub, and apparently had been in an argument with Zachary Meeks there.
Adams County prosecutors Monday charged Meeks with 15 counts of murder in the deaths of the five children. State's Attorney Jon Barnard says Zachary Meeks is charged with three counts of murder for each of the five victims. Meeks also is charged with aggravated arson and arson.
That's three murder charges for each victim. Here's why, according to the man who will prosecute the case, Adams County State's Attorney Jon Barnard. The first count is based on the allegation that Meeks knew there was a strong probability his actions would cause death or great bodily harm. The second and third counts charge Meeks caused the deaths while committing a forcible felony. In this case, the felonies are arson and aggravated arson.
Barnard said, "So, what we've done as to each victim is charge the defendant with committing an act, allegedly setting fire to the building at 428 north 7th and that in the course of committing that act a person died. Actually, as we know, unfortunately, five children."
Barnard says he'll decide sometime later whether he will seek the death penalty against Meeks, who remains jailed on 5 million dollars bond.
So far, investigators will only say they suspect arson in the case, but they haven't confirmed how the fire was set. The state fire marshal's report should be in later this week.
During a brief court appearance Monday, Meeks was appointed a public defender Ed Downey.
How is his (Meeks) demeanor?
"He's quiet, but he's only been here overnight," Adams County Sheriff Brent Fischer said. "we have him in solitary confinement."
Zachary Meeks isn't the only one under investigation. The Department of Child and Family Services is investigating Keith and Jeanette Clark in a child neglect case. An anonymous caller contacted a DCFS hotline to alert the agency that the 5 children were left alone here in the early hours when the fire started. No formal charges have been made at this time.
The Illinois Department of Corrections says Meeks has several previous felony drug arrests. He was released from prison in December.
We did some checking with the Adams County Circuit Clerk's Office to see what kind of other crimes Zach Meeks has either been charged with or pleaded guilty to over the last 10 years. Meeks was sentenced to the Illinois Department of Corrections in May of 2005 on a felony drug charge and was released from prison this past December. In June of 2002, Meeks pleaded guilty to a charge of manufacture and distribution of a look-alike substance and was ordered to spend six months in jail and was put on probation for two and a half years. And in 2002, he was sentenced to two and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to a charge of aggravated battery in a public place. He also had several guilty pleas to resisting arrest in 2000, 2001, 2004 and again in 2005.
The Quincy Fire Department responded to the fire at 428 North Seventh Street early Sunday morning. They arrived at 3:09 a.m. after a neighbor made a 9-1-1 call. Jim Hills says he called 9-1-1 3:06 a.m to report the fire Sunday morning.
This is what he heard.
Hills said, "I had just laid down and heard an explosion and I looked out the window and the front door was on fire. I ran out of the house and started to knock on the window to get people up and I saw nobody in there. I heard a poof, it sounded like gasoline exploding. I looked out the window and saw the door on fire with flames coming out."
Seventeen firefighters arrived on the scene at 3:09 a.m. and got the fire under control in minutes.
Two of the children were found in the bathroom, another two near a window in a bedroom, and the fifth was found near an exit.
Quincy Fire Chief Scott Walker said, "There was a woman injured in the fire who attempted to make entry. She attempted to crawl into a window and sustained burns. She managed to push past firefighters and apparently made an attempt in a sense of panic."
Meeks, 27, of Quincy was the only suspect in the fire at 428 North 7th street. He was involved in an incident later in the day and Quincy Police apprehended him.
Quincy Police Chief Rob Copley said, "We responded to a call of an altercation at a residence. Upon arrival that's where he was located. He was assaulted by other individuals. That part of this investigation is ongoing."
One of the most touching parts of this tragedy was the lengths neighbors and the children's parents went through to attempt to save their children. We spoke with one neighbor who was first on the scene and broke the windows of the home with his bare hands to rescue the children. Other neighbors said the parents of the children braved the flames to save their kids.
Jeanette Clark, the mother of the children was treated and released from Blessing Hospital. Father Keith Clark was transferred to Memorial Medical Center in Springfield for treatment of his severe burns. He was released from the hospital Tuesday afternoon.
The family of the five children are not the only ones grieving. The entire neighborhood community of this family tell us their neighborhood will never be the same.
Neighbor Sue Johnson said, "I was horrified because I can still visualize those kids playing in that yard and in the street. They were well-behaved, nice kids."
Some of the people in this neighborhood who will miss these children the most are their friends they played with in these streets and yards...
James Calmese lived next door and played football with Kendall.
He said, "I'm going to have somebody to see, I love to play video games and I'm going to miss having someone to ring the doorbell and seeing if I want to go outside and play with him."
Fatima Calmese says she and Althea spent much of their time together around the neighborhood. She says school without Althea will never be the same.
She said, "I have a lot of friends at school but she was like a little sister to me."
Darius and Dannika Lilly will also miss their friends they used to visit here.
Darius Lilly said, "What are you going to miss about Kendall. He played at my house and played basketball and stayed all night."
Dannika Lilly said, "She always went to Sunday School with us and stayed all night with us."
According to neighbors we talked to, no matter what questions are in the air about the events surrounding the deaths of these children, every neighbor agrees they will be missed and are angels that are on their way back to heaven.
Other people grieving right now include the family's church family. The family attended the First Baptist Church every Sunday.
Several of the children were students in the Quincy Public School District. Kendall Edwards and Althea Clark attended Baldwin School. 7-year-old Cameron Clark attended Washington School and Khalil Clark went to the Early Childhood Center in Quincy.
Superintendent Tom Leahy says the district plans to bring grief counselors into the schools tomorrow and throughout the week to help students deal with the tragedy and the loss of their friends.
"Whatever you can do to help them through this. It's a terrible loss to try to cope with, so we just need to give them support to help them through it," said Leahy
Here is my question: Who is more to blame; the guy who started the fire or the parents of the children? The parents were not home.. 5 children all under the age of 10 were home alone.