Nicholas Mentgen, 21, Ryan Johnson, 22, David Crady, 19, and 20-year-old Daniel Cox were charged with two counts of aggravated arson and one count of possession of an explosive or incendiary device in the death of Sheridan "Danny" Dahlquist.

Dahlquist, a sophomore on the soccer team, died yesterday of smoke inhalation after a fire in his bedroom at a home he shared with Mentgen, Johnson and Crady.

Both of Dahlquist's parents work for the university.

"The Dahlquist family is moved by the many expressions of love and support they have received ... Please continue to hold them in your prayers," said William Engelbrecht, Bradley's vice president of advancement.

Peoria County State's Attorney Kevin Lyons said the four men lit a roman candle under Dahlquist's bedroom door as an apparent prank after a night of drinking early yesterday. They then tried to rescue Dahlquist when they saw the candle had started a fire, but were turned back by intense heat, Lyons said.

The men could have faced first-degree murder charges, but prosecutors opted for lesser counts after deciding they didn't mean to harm Dahlquist.

"They intended for their friend to run outside in his underwear, going, 'What the hell happened?' ... I'm quite certain that every person I know could put themselves in the shoes of the defendants," Lyons said.

But he added that the men need to be held accountable for Dahlquist's death.

"I don't want to make five tragedies out of one tragedy, but I also understand that we have to have consequences for our actions," Lyons said.

Mentgen, Johnson and Crady also are members of Bradley's soccer team, Lyons said. He said Cox is a friend of the players who attends Illinois Central College in nearby East Peoria.

A judge set bond at $500,000 for each of the men during a hearing today. A Peoria County public defender, Thomas Penn Jr., sought bond of no more than $200,000, saying the tragedy was a prank that went wrong.

If convicted, the men each face six to 30 years in prison on the aggravated arson charge, a felony that doesn't qualify for probation. Each also faces up to 30 years in prison on the explosives charge, which includes probation as an option.

Bradley sports information director Bobby Parker said the athletic department learned of the charges today and will review the players' status with the team.

Lyons said the four men initially gave police conflicting accounts of the incident, trying to avoid responsibility for the fire.

He said investigators later determined that the men had been involved in a similar prank two days before, and set off a roman candle under Dahlquist's door earlier yesterday that failed to ignite.

They returned and lit two more, shooting off up to 16 balls of fire that burned at about 1,500 degrees and ignited a wall across from the door, Lyons said.

Dahlquist was asleep in bed after a night of drinking when the explosives were set off, but was found on the floor near a window, indicating he awoke and tried to escape the fire that destroyed the bedroom and its contents, Lyons said.