Illinois man kills 2 brothers, sets fire to his mother's house

An Illinois man was arrested for allegedly killing his two brothers and burning down their late mother's home, authorities said Friday.

Jeffrey S. Austwick, 54, of Highland Park, is accused of fatally shooting John Austwick, 60, and Marc Austwick, 63, earlier this week.

Highland Park police and firefighters responded to a fire at a residence about 25 miles north of Chicago on Wednesday, where they located two male victims with “suspicious injuries.”

The two men, later identified as Austwick's older brothers, were pronounced dead at the scene.

After an investigation by Highland Park Police and the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force, authorities determined the victims' younger brother was responsible for the double shooting.

Investigators said John and Marc Austwick were at the Highland Park home discussing the property with their brother. The house belonged to their mother, who died five days earlier, and appeared to be up for sale, local media reported.

“The investigation shows that after they arrived, Jeffrey shot Marc and John, then set the house on fire,” said Chris Covelli, a spokesman for the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force, to the Daily News in an email.

The suspect fled in his vehicle.

Later Wednesday, investigators obtained a nationwide warrant for his arrest on two counts of murder. He was arrested early Friday morning in a park in St. Louis, Missouri.

He remains in custody in Missouri pending an initial court hearing, Covelli said.