Two men have been charged with murder in a house explosion near St. Louis who, according to authorities, killed four people who were gathering fireworks in a garage.
St. Louis County prosecutors say Terrell Cooks, 37, and Seneca Mahan, 43, made fireworks and directed younger people on how to load the containers and attach a wick for lighting. They would then sell the fireworks to others. Neither Cooks nor Mahan had a license to make or sell fireworks.
Cooks and Mahan are each charged with three counts of second-degree murder and several other counts in Friday’s blast near the town of Black Jack. They were charged before a fourth victim died Saturday.
The victims in the powerful explosion that shook other homes and knocked out neighbors’ windows were identified as Travell Eason (16); Christopher Jones, 17; Damario Cooks, 18; and William Jones, 21.
Authorities said a 12-year-old child was also injured in the blast, but the St Louis Postage reported that police could not provide details on Sunday about how many others were still hospitalized.
Cooks and Martin were held on $ 350,000 bail. Online court records have not yet listed the cases, so it was not clear if the men had lawyers who could comment on the charges.
According to court documents, Cooks admitted that he and Mahan made explosive devices designed to make a loud bang and bright flash. Investigators saw Cooks move boxes of explosives used to make explosives to his vehicle after Friday’s blast, and they found large quantities of “finished explosive weapons and components to make them” when they found a house and other vehicles with Cooks connected, searched.
This article is republished from – Voa News – Read the – original article.
