A St. Louis man faces a federal arson charge after investigators said he admitted setting fires at two neighboring Cahokia Heights massage parlors earlier this month, one of which killed a woman whose body was pulled from the debris the following day. Quentin Hanks is accused of igniting couches at both One Spa and Fuji Super Spa with a lighter after growing angry over a paid sexual encounter.
According to the Belleville News-Democrat, Hanks is charged with one count of arson following an ATF affidavit describing his alleged admissions. Investigators said Hanks told them he set fires to couches at One Spa, located at 220 S. 88th Street, and at Fuji Super Spa, at 240 S. 88th Street, using a lighter. Hanks reportedly told investigators he set the blazes because he was dissatisfied with sexual services he had paid for at One Spa, per the criminal complaint cited by the newspaper.
Firefighters from at least 10 departments responded to Fuji Super Spa around 3:15 a.m. on Oct. 19, according to the same account. Seven people escaped the building with no reported injuries, though another person was initially unaccounted for. A second building in the same ownership group, One Spa, also caught fire that same morning, the outlet reported.
Woman's Remains Found in the Rubble a Day Later
Crews recovered the remains of a woman from the wreckage of Fuji Super Spa on Oct. 20, more than 24 hours after she went missing in the blaze, the Belleville News-Democrat reported. As of that date, she had not been positively identified, according to the same report. The fire left substantial structural damage at the property, including a collapsed roof and fallen walls, per the outlet's reporting.
The Illinois State Fire Marshal and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are investigating both fires, the Belleville News-Democrat reported. The U.S. attorney overseeing the case said prosecutors intend to take the matter before a grand jury rather than move straight to an indictment. “We will carefully examine all the facts and conduct a full grand jury investigation before seeking an indictment,” the U.S. attorney said, according to the newspaper.
Court records reviewed separately raise a discrepancy over Hanks' age: STLtoday.com reported federal prosecutors charged Quentin Hanks, 34, with one count of arson, while a U.S. Department of Justice summary of the case listed him as 36. The dossier underlying this report does not resolve which figure is accurate.
Ownership Trail Leads to a St. Louis Pawnshop
The investigation into the fires has also surfaced questions about who controls the properties. St. Clair County property records show Fuji Super Spa and One Spa are two of three area massage parlors owned by a company called RGK Properties, the Belleville News-Democrat reported. That company's listed address matches one posted online for a St. Louis pawnshop, according to the same reporting.
Ronald G. Kipilla confirmed to the newspaper that he owns the property but said he does not own the business operating inside it. The ownership question intersects with a separate, earlier federal case: the U.S. Department of Justice says a person with the surname Kipilla pleaded guilty to structuring bank deposits in amounts below $10,000 to avoid federal reporting requirements, a case unrelated on its face to the arson charge but surfaced in records tied to the same family name.
What Comes Next in the Case
Federal prosecutors have signaled the arson case is still in its early stages. Prosecutors intend to take the matter before a grand jury before seeking an indictment.
