A grand jury will convene Monday to consider additional charges against an Ironton man in connection with the deaths of three people in a motel fire last week.

Roger Marshall, 56, of 2101 N. Second St. Rear, was charged with arson shortly after the fire.

"We take this extremely seriously," Lawrence County Prosecutor J.B. Collier Jr., said.

"This is a multiple death case and quite frankly, we're lucky it was only three. There were, I understand, a couple of other residents (at the motel) who were just lucky. The nature of it, the horrible way they died, makes us want to take a closer look at it."

Collier said other grand jury cases will be considered at a later date. He applauded the efforts made by other local agencies, including the Ironton Fire Department Ironton Police Department and state fire marshal's office, in investigating the case.

"I'm proud of the way they cooperated with each other," he said. "They did a very professional job."

James Reed and John Meyer, who both lived at the Lyle Motel, and

Meyer's girlfriend, Lolaetta Corbin Hicks, were found dead when Ironton firefighters arrived at the scene of an early morning blaze Aug. 2.

Marshall, who suffered burns to his arms and remains a patient in the burn unit of a Columbus hospital.