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Man Who Set Church Ablaze Wanted To 'Kill All The Demons,' Prosecutors Say

By Erica Demarest | October 25, 2016 3:46pm
 Raymond Luna, 28, is charged with aggravated arson.
Raymond Luna, 28, is charged with aggravated arson.
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Google Maps; Chicago Police Department

COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — A Belmont Cragin man told police he was trying to "kill all the demons" when he started a blaze at a Northwest Side church early Monday, prosecutors said.

Raymond Luna, 28, was arrested outside St. Genevieve Church, 4835 W. Altgeld St., for starting a fire inside the building about 12:30 a.m. Monday. He told police, "You should have let me finish burning the church so I could kill all the demons," according to an arrest report.

The church's pastor took to Facebook Monday, where he credited the patron saints of police and firefighters with stopping the blaze — which prosecutors estimate caused $50,000 worth of damage.

RELATED: Pastor Gives Saints Shoutout for Saving Church After Suspected Arson Fire

According to authorities, a witness who heard glass shattering at St. Genevieve called 911 sometime after midnight Monday.

When police arrived, they spotted Luna trying to leave the church without any pants or shoes, Assistant State's Attorney Erin Antonietti said during a bond hearing Tuesday. Thick smoke filled the church and poured through one of its windows.

Two priests, ages 56 and 83, live about 10 feet from where the fire started, prosecutors said.

Officials were able to track the blaze to a trash can and nearby cabinet, according to Antonietti. Officers found Luna's shoes and cellphone inside the church, prosecutors said, and a box of matches was missing from a cabinet.

Prosecutors believe the fire and smoke caused $50,000 worth of damage.

Luna, of the 2100 block of North Lorel Avenue, is charged with aggravated arson.

Cook County Judge Donald Panarese Jr. on Tuesday ordered Luna held in lieu of $400,000 bail.

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