Chicago man gets life for arson that killed 2

A Chicago man has been sentenced to life in prison for a 2000 grocery store arson that killed two employees.

Cook County prosecutors say 31-year-old Eric Brooks was sentenced after being convicted of first-degree murder. The blaze was set at Mike and Sons Food and Liquors on Chicago’s West Side. Prosecutors say the blaze was part of a plan to collect insurance money.

Prosecutors say Brocks wore a ski mask when he doused a potato chip rack with gasoline and lit a match. Employees and customers rushed out, however employee 37-year-old Annie Reed tried to save a co-worker, 25-year-old Hafari Smith. Both women were found dead in small office on the store’s second floor.

A second man has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing. Prosecutors suspect a third, uncharged offender.