Oak Forest man found guilty in 2007 arson that killed his daughter, grandson

An Oak Forest man has been convicted of starting a fire outside an apartment building that killed his pregnant daughter, son-in-law and toddler grandson in 2007.

A jury found 64-year-old Subhash Chander guilty on Thursday of three counts of first-degree murder for the arson that happened Dec. 29, 2007 at the apartment at 15859 S. Leclaire in Oak Forest, according to a statement from the Cook County state’s attorney’s office.

The blaze destroyed most of the building, and after crews extinguished it, Chander’s 22-year-old daughter, Monika Rani, her 30-year-old husband, Rajesh Arora, and their 3-year-old son, Vansh Kumar, were all found dead, prosecutors said.

Witnesses saw Chander with a plastic container of gasoline on the first floor of the building shortly after the fire started, and a gas station attendant identified him as a customer who bought gas about two hours before the blaze, prosecutors said.

Chander faces up to life in prison, prosecutors said. He is scheduled to appear in court for a pre-sentencing hearing in Markham on April 16.