Prosecutors reject plea for Glendale Hts. man accused of killing sons

DuPage County prosecutors rejected a plea deal offered by a 35-year-old Glendale Heights man accused of killing his two young sons after setting them on fire.

Judge Kathryn Creswell set a trial date of April 21 following a brief hearing Wednesday, said DuPage County Public Defender Robert Miller, who is representing the father.

Kaushik Patel had offered to plead guilty months ago in exchange for State's Attorney Joseph Birkett removing the possibility of a death sentence. Birkett offered no comment on Patel's proposed deal.

Patel is accused of dousing his 7-year-old son Vishv and 4-year-old son Om with gasoline in the family's bathtub after luring them with new toy cars in November 2007. He set the boys and himself on fire. However, the fire didn't kill any of them initially, and Patel drove the boys and himself to his brother's house in Hanover Park where a relative called emergency workers.

The boys struggled for survival for months at Loyola Medical Center's burn unit in Maywood. Om succumbed first in January, followed by Vishv a month later.