Dad of burned Glendale Heights sons to leave hospital, face charges
The Glendale Heights father accused of setting ablaze his two sons, one of whom later died, will be released from the hospital to face murder charges.
Authorities said Kaushik Patel is expected to be released from Loyola Medical Center by Friday and placed in custody. Police have kept him under a constant watch since the Nov. 18 tragedy.
DuPage County State's Attorney Joseph Birkett authorized first-degree murder charges against Patel after his 4-year-old son, Om, died at the hospital Jan. 17.
His brother, Vishv, 7, still is hospitalized with severe burns, but officials said his condition has improved.
Initially, doctors didn't expect either boy to survive the first night. Their conditions steadily improved in the following weeks, while doctors kept them in drug-induced comas and tried to ward off infections. But Om Patel, who never regained consciousness, developed a fever and took a turn for the worse.
Kaushik Patel is suspected 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, told the Daily Herald 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 hospitalized father, who is able to walk, from having contact with his sons.
In the court document, prosecutor Joseph Ruggiero alleged Kaushik Patel is considered "suicidal." Authorities said Patel also provided a confession to them.
Officials at the Maywood hospital declined to confirm when Patel is being released, but prosecutors said they've been told it will be Thursday or Friday. Afterward, Patel is expected to appear in DuPage County bond court on first-degree murder charges. He also is charge with aggravated arson and attempted murder.
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.