2 charged with murder, arson in death of Chicago firefighter Jermaine Pelt; 3rd facing insurance fraud charges
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Two men have been arrested on arson and murder charges, and a third has been arrested on fraud charges in connection with the death of Chicago Firefighter Jermaine Pelt, who died while battling a house fire last year.
Martez Cristler, 22, of Hammond, Ind., and Nicholas Virgil, 37, of Riverdale, both face three counts of murder and three counts of aggravated arson. Anthony Moore, 47, of Blue Island, faces two counts of wire fraud, two counts of forgery, and one count of insurance fraud.
Chicago police said all three were arrested Tuesday after Cristler and Virgil were identified as the people who set the house fire that killed Pelt in April 2023 in the West Pullman neighborhood. Moore is facing financial crimes charges in connection to the fire.
Pelt's family and fellow firefighters filled the courtroom as all three men made their first appearance in court on Friday.
During that hearing, Cristler's mother had an outburst, saying her son didn't do it. She was escorted out of the courtroom, but continued to scuffle with officers while handcuffed.
Cook County prosecutors said Moore owned the home where the fire started, and lied to the insurance company about renting out a home under construction. Cristler and Virgil are accused of setting the fire that killed Pelt. Both their vehicles were seen on camera before and after the fire, and their phones pinged in the area as they tried to call one another.
A false insurance claim is what led investigators to arrest all three defendants.
Cristler and Virgil were ordered held in jail as they await trial. Moore was released on electronic monitoring.
The fire that killed Pelt started just before 3:40 a.m. on April 4, 2023, in a house at 12017 S. Wallace St. and spread to two neighboring homes.
Pelt, 49, was operating a hose line in the house at 12019 S. Wallace St., where the flames had spread, when conditions worsened, and all firefighters were ordered out of the building. But Fire Department officials said Pelt "went down" just as the evacuation order was issued, and his lieutenant found him near the hose line.
Pelt was taken to the hospital in critical condition and later died. An autopsy later determined he died of carbon monoxide toxicity from inhalation of smoke and soot.
"A rapid intervention team was sent back in, where they discovered Firefighter Pelt face-down in the attic. Debris and a dresser were on top of him, and his mask had been dislodged from his face," Assistant Cook County State's Attorney Mike Pekara said.
Prosecutors said investigators learned the fire was intentionally set after smelling something similar to scented hand sanitizer.
"Investigators went to the barbershop owned by defendant Moore, and ultimately searched a dumpster outside of that barbershop. Upon doing so, they discovered two 2-liter empty bottles of hand sanitizer," Pekara said.
Investigators also found other documents bearing Moore's name. Prosecutors said, after running phone records, investigators found numbers for Cristler and Virgil leading up to the fire.
"With cell phone records, historical cell site data, surveillance video and the use of license plate readers, investigators were able to methodically piece together the actions of the defendants leading up to and following the fire at 120th and South Wallace," Pekara said.
The details of the alleged arson, insurance fraud scheme
In a proffer, Pekara said Moore bought the property at 12017 S. Wallace St. in July 2021 for $35,000 when it was in the middle of being renovated. No one had lived in the two-story frame duplex house since Moore purchased it, prosecutors said.
The property was insured by Moore through State Farm as a rental property beginning on July 13, 2022, for a one-year term, prosecutors said. Upon obtaining the policy, Moore told State Farm that the property was currently rented and provided the insurance agent with an assigned lease, prosecutors said.
The policy was worth $339,000 for the duplex house, $33,900 for the garage, and $16,950 for personal property and additional living expenses, prosecutors said. There was also insurance coverage for loss of rental income, prosecutors said.
Even though Moore obtained the insurance policy saying there was a renter in the building, nobody actually lived there—and the house was uninhabitable, prosecutors said. Plumbing was not hooked up properly, the kitchens had no sinks, the shower had no drain, and some rooms had no doors—while others had doors nailed shut, prosecutors said.
In addition, the drywall was bare, the gas and water were not turned on, and there was no furniture in the building, prosecutors said.
The houses on either side of 12017 S. Wallace St. were occupied when the fire broke out that early April morning last year. A neighbor in one of the houses was awoken by a loud noise at 2:30 a.m., and the first evidence of smoke was seen 18 minutes later, prosecutors said.
The neighbor began to smell smoke herself within an hour, and looked out the window to find 12017 S. Wallace St. on fire, prosecutors said. The neighbor called 911.
Another neighbor was awoken by intense heat, and found the room to be so bright that they thought they had overslept and woken up in broad daylight, prosecutors said. This neighbor looked out the window and saw the flames coming from 12017 too, prosecutors said.
When firefighters arrived, they found the door to the downstairs unit at 12017 was locked—it had to be forced open, prosecutors said. The door to the upstairs unit was closed, but not locked—and there were flames at the top of the stairs, which firefighters found unusual, prosecutors said.
Firefighters then moved to the neighboring house to the south—where Pelt was later found face down in the attic—as the fire spread.
The Chicago Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Illinois State Fire Marshal launched an investigation involving accelerant-detecting K9 units. They determined the fire had started near the stairs on the second floor of 12017 S. Wallace St., and was later figured out that the accelerant involved had been hand sanitizer, prosecutors said.
Hand sanitizer first ignites with a flash, but then dies down and smolders for a while before the fire starts blazing, prosecutors said. Surveillance video showed the fire broke out in just that pattern, prosecutors said.
After the fire, Moore filed an insurance claim with State Farm—claiming loss of rental income, and providing the name of a purported renter, prosecutors said. On April 10, 2023, State Farm asked for documentation, and Moore emailed the company a lease one-year lease agreement dated July 5, 2022, indicating that rent was $1,350 a month with a security deposit, prosecutors said. He also provided a proof of loss statement, prosecutors said.
Moore also claimed he lost a generator and some extensive tools in the fire, despite someone who had been helping Moore with work on the house just a week earlier saying all that was inside were items like a broom, a garbage can, garbage bags, and drywall, prosecutors said.
The dumpster search at the barbershop followed, turning up the empty hand sanitizer bottles, prosecutors said. Meanwhile, a search warrant led authorities to uncover Moore's communications with Cristler and Virgil leading up to the fire was set, prosecutors said.
Surveillance video and cellphone records from the morning of the fire also placed Cristler and Virgil's vehicles—a black Infiniti QX80 and a dark blue Chevrolet Silverado, respectively—at the scene at the time of the fire, and also documented communications between them, prosecutors said.
Cristler was still driving the Infiniti as of this month, but Virgil posted a video in October 2023 of his Silverado on fire itself, prosecutors said.
Jermaine Pelt: A respected and beloved firefighter
Pelt, an 18-year Chicago Fire Department veteran, had just celebrated his 49th birthday before his death.
Pelt was remembered for his heart, his smile, and his dedication to service. The husband, son, brother, and father of two leaves behind an adoring family – including a 6-year-old son, Jared, and a daughter, Jorie, whom he had just walked down the aisle.
Pelt also served more than one community. He was a Chicago firefighter of 18 years, but he was also an EMT, instructor at the Fire Academy, and a nurse.
In addition, Pelt was a boxer and a real estate entrepreneur, and his family said he loved to travel.