By Associated Press - Sunday, March 16, 2014

CHESTER, Ill. (AP) - A pre-trial hearing has been delayed for a man accused of setting a southern Illinois house fire that killed four children last year.

The Southern Illinoisan in Carbondale reports Sunday (https://bit.ly/1fBhiaV) that Monday’s hearing for Derrick Twardoski has been rescheduled for April 17. Twardoski has pleaded not guilty to four first-degree murder counts in the deaths last May in Percy, a village 60 miles southeast of St. Louis.

Eight exhibits are still being tested for DNA evidence in the case. Randolph County prosecutors say the testing will be done Monday and results should be available in 30 days.



The fire killed siblings ages 12, 9 and 5-year-old twins. Their parents and a 6-year-old escaped.

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Information from: Southern Illinoisan, https://www.southernillinoisan.com

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