Four people died after a house exploded near Black Jack, Missouri, when two men were putting fireworks together in a garage. Now, those two men are facing murder charges.
Prosecutors in St. Louis County stated that Terrell Cooks, 37, and Seneca Mahan, 43, assembled fireworks and showed younger individuals how to fill the canisters and place a fuse on it for lighting. Then, the fireworks would be sold to others. Neither men had a license to create or sell fireworks, authorities say.
Cooks and Mahan are both facing charges of second-degree murder and many other charges in Friday’s occurrence. These charges came about prior to a fourth victim passing away on Saturday.
The huge explosion rattled other residences and ripped the windows off of windows on nearby homes.
Travell Eason, 16, Christopher Jones, 17, Damario Cooks 18, and William Jones, 21, were identified as the victims. Sources say that others may be hospitalized, as well.
Records noted that Cooks confessed to assembling explosive devices with Mahan. They were created to cause a loud noise and make a huge flash.
Detectives witnessed Cooks transporting boxes of chemicals used to create explosives to his car after the explosion. They also discovered a great amount of “completed explosive weapons and components to manufacture them” when they looked inside a home and other cars connected to Cooks.
Cooks and Mahan have a cash bail set at $350,000 each.
