$10 million bond for Glendale Hts. father accused of setting sons on fire
Looking unkempt and missing patches of hair, Kaushik Patel left the hospital today and appeared in court to answer to charges of setting his young sons on fire, killing one of them.
Speaking through an interpreter and providing short answers to perfunctory questioning, the Glendale Heights man faces a full hearing on Tuesday.
In the meantime, DuPage County Judge Daniel Guerin set a $10 million cash bond.
Police have kept Patel, 34, under a constant watch since the Nov. 18 tragedy. He appeared in court about 4 p.m. in a yellow prison medical jumpsuit.
Om and Vishv Patel support fund West Suburban Bank, 1657 Bloomingdale Road, Glendale Heights, IL 60139. Checks, payable to the fund, may be mailed to the bank or dropped off at Pheasant Ridge Primary School, 43 E. Stevenson, Drive, Glendale Heights. For more information, call (630) 260-6147
State's Attorney Joseph Birkett authorized first-degree murder charges against Patel after his 4-year-old son, Om, died at Loyola Medical Center in Maywood on Jan. 17.
His brother, Vishv, 7, still is hospitalized with severe burns, but officials said his condition has improved.
"What Mr. Patel is accused of, intentionally setting his own sons on fire, is unspeakable," Birkett said in a prepared statement. "This complete disregard for human life is just gut-wrenching. These two young boys suffered unimaginable pain, allegedly at the hands of their own father."
Kaushik Patel is accused of dousing his sons in gasoline and setting them ablaze in a shower stall inside their home at 1860 Harvest Lane, injuring himself in the process. Police suspect he lured the boys into the stall with new toy cars found nearby.
Their mother, Nishaben, was not home. Afterward, police said, Kaushik Patel drove his injured sons about five miles to his brother's house in Hanover Park, where a relative called 911.
Authorities said Kaushik Patel admitted the botched murder-suicide attempt to his brother, Rajendra, who relayed the conversation to police. His wife, Kamini Patel, said the family knew the couple had problems in their 1997 arranged marriage, but no one foresaw the violence.
Earlier this month, a DuPage County judge approved a two-year protective order barring the father from having contact with his sons.
Prosecutor Joseph Ruggiero alleged Kaushik Patel is considered "suicidal." Authorities said Patel, who also is charged with aggravated arson and attempted murder, has provided a confession to them.