Dakota Valkyrie
August 23rd, 2008, 01:52 AM
http://i36.tinypic.com/25iyec7.jpghttp://i37.tinypic.com/eg1t8h.jpg
Kaushik Patel and sons Vishv Patel, 7, and Om Patel 4
A Glendale Heights father accused of setting his two sons on fire has offered to admit he killed them, but only if his own life is spared.
His lawyer said in court Thursday that Kaushik J. Patel wants to plead guilty and spend the rest of his life in prison if prosecutors drop their intention to seek the death penalty. The prosecution declined to say if the plea offer will be accepted.
Patel, 34, is charged with causing the fatal injuries Nov. 18 after luring his two sons with new toy cars into a bathroom of their home and setting them on fire with gasoline.
Patel contends he was trying to commit suicide when the boys ran into the room and accidentally were set on fire. Patel had a half-gallon of gasoline in the bathroom and poured it on him and the boy. He said he does not remember lighting the fire. The boys' mother was not home when the fire broke out.
Afterward, Kaushik Patel buckled the children into the back seat of his car and drove them to his older brother's house about five miles away. A relative called 911.
The boys weren't expected to survive that first night, but struggled for months. The youngest child, Om, 4, was the first to die, on Jan. 17. Vishv, 7, survived several surgeries but took a sudden turn for the worse and died Feb. 19. Patel suffered serious burns in the fire and has heavy scars on his right hand.
Patel said he was suicidal over marital problems that arose after his mother-in-law moved in with the couple a few years earlier. He and his wife, Nishaben, wed in an arranged marriage in their native India, five years after he had immigrated to the United States.
Authorities don't believe the accident defense. They said both boys' injuries were much more severe, indicating they had more gasoline doused on them than their father. Police also said Patel made incriminating statements that night to his brother in which he admitted it was a botched murder-suicide attempt.
The couple divorced after reaching an agreement in which Kaushik Patel voluntarily relinquished any right to their home, two cars, $25,000 in jewelry and the boys' life-insurance policies.
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=229270&src=2
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-patel-father-burned-kids_22_aug22,0,1137340.story
______________________________________________
He's a spooky looking crispy critter... too bad he survived.
Kaushik Patel and sons Vishv Patel, 7, and Om Patel 4
A Glendale Heights father accused of setting his two sons on fire has offered to admit he killed them, but only if his own life is spared.
His lawyer said in court Thursday that Kaushik J. Patel wants to plead guilty and spend the rest of his life in prison if prosecutors drop their intention to seek the death penalty. The prosecution declined to say if the plea offer will be accepted.
Patel, 34, is charged with causing the fatal injuries Nov. 18 after luring his two sons with new toy cars into a bathroom of their home and setting them on fire with gasoline.
Patel contends he was trying to commit suicide when the boys ran into the room and accidentally were set on fire. Patel had a half-gallon of gasoline in the bathroom and poured it on him and the boy. He said he does not remember lighting the fire. The boys' mother was not home when the fire broke out.
Afterward, Kaushik Patel buckled the children into the back seat of his car and drove them to his older brother's house about five miles away. A relative called 911.
The boys weren't expected to survive that first night, but struggled for months. The youngest child, Om, 4, was the first to die, on Jan. 17. Vishv, 7, survived several surgeries but took a sudden turn for the worse and died Feb. 19. Patel suffered serious burns in the fire and has heavy scars on his right hand.
Patel said he was suicidal over marital problems that arose after his mother-in-law moved in with the couple a few years earlier. He and his wife, Nishaben, wed in an arranged marriage in their native India, five years after he had immigrated to the United States.
Authorities don't believe the accident defense. They said both boys' injuries were much more severe, indicating they had more gasoline doused on them than their father. Police also said Patel made incriminating statements that night to his brother in which he admitted it was a botched murder-suicide attempt.
The couple divorced after reaching an agreement in which Kaushik Patel voluntarily relinquished any right to their home, two cars, $25,000 in jewelry and the boys' life-insurance policies.
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=229270&src=2
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-patel-father-burned-kids_22_aug22,0,1137340.story
______________________________________________
He's a spooky looking crispy critter... too bad he survived.