Articles
Man charged in arson deaths of child, pregnant woman
March 13, 2009
BY ANNIE SWEENEY Crime Reporter
A judge today ordered an 18-year-old alleged gang member held without bail on charges he served as a lookout in the January murders of a pregnant woman and her 7-year-old daughter, who were killed in an arson targeting a rival gang member.
Jovan Djurdjlov has been charged with two counts of first degree murder, said a spokesman for the Cook County state’s attorney. He is a self-admitted Spanish Cobra who used gasoline to ignite a fire in the stairwell of a building in the 3900 block of West Argyle on Jan. 31, authorities said
Prosecutors said Djurdjlov, who worked as a grocery story bagger, was the lookout for the arson, and they are still searching for his accomplice.
Grand Central Area Commander Joe Salemme said the target of the arson, a Spanish Gangster Disciple, was unharmed.
But Rosanna Ocampo, 23, and her daughter Itzel Fernandez, who lived on the second floor of the building, were killed.
Ocampo was six months pregnant. Her four-year-old son survived, family members said at the time of the incident.
Two others were injured, and 22 people were displaced.
Salemme said detectives received numerous tips from the community and that “good tireless police work” solved the crime.
It’s uncommon for gang members to settle a dispute this way. Salemme called it “tragic.”
“The detectives did great teamwork on this,” he said. “They put a marvelous case together.”
He also credited the 17th District tactical team with piecing the crime together