2 Charged With Murder After Deadly Ill. 'Greed' Fire

MAYWOOD, Ill. – Prosecutors say the owner of an apartment building in a Chicago suburb had his maintenance man set it on fire, killing seven people, because he wanted to collect the insurance money.

Prosecutors say the owner told police he wanted the building burned when the children living there were at school. Instead, they allege, the maintenance man started the fire on a Sunday morning when residents were asleep.

Cook County state's attorney Anita Alvarez says the Feb. 14 fire was motivated by "sheer greed." She says the owner had an insurance policy on the building worth $250,000.

The owner, 60-year-old Lawrence Myers, and the maintenance man, 47-year-old Marion Comier, are charged with murder and arson. They pleaded not guilty Friday and were ordered held without bond.