2 prosecutors suspended in deadly arson case

The Cook County state’s attorney has suspended two prosecutors for not charging a father for threatening to set his children on fire months before he actually committed the crime.

Authorities say Nathaniel Beller of Cicero died after setting a Dec. 29 fire that killed his 4-year-old daughter and burned his 9-year-old son. The children’s mother also died in the blaze.

Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez says the two prosecutors were “ultimately responsible” for not charging Beller in September. That’s when authorities say he filled a bathtub with gasoline and threatened to burn himself and his children.

The prosecutors were given 60-day unpaid suspensions. Alvarez says her office “must be accountable” for its actions.