Jayden Perkins, an 11-year-old ball of talent was fatally stabbed to death while protecting his pregnant mother on March 13th, 2024. The 33-year-old mother, Laterria Smith, also pregnant at the time of the stabbing was stabbed multiple times. Her former boyfriend, 37 year old Crosetti Brand was released on parole just one day prior to the attack.
The attack occurred on the 5900 block of North Ravenswood, in the Edgewater community of Chicago.
Jayden Perkins was full of talent, a dancer, part of the Gus Giordano Dance School.
According to the 11 year olds instructor, “Jayden was always performing. And that gift radiated to everyone who shared the floor with him.”
Illinois governor JB Pritzker announced the resignation of a members of the state’s prisoner review board this week, about 10 days after a man who was released on parole was charged with attacking a former girlfriend and killing her 11-year-old son.
LeAnn Miller recommended the release of Crosetti Brand and conducted the hearing that resulted in him being granted parole, according to the governor’s office. Board chair Donald Shelter and board member LeAnn Miller both stepped down.
According to reports Miller wrote the report to approve Brand for parole on March 12th, prior the a protection hearing Brand was set to attend on March 13th. At the time of the filing Brand was doing 16 years behind bars for home invasion and aggravated assault.
IDOC and Illinois Prison Board of review claimed they had no knowledge of the March 13th hearing.
However, documentation sent via email read otherwise.
The Prisoner Review Board stated that they were unaware of Smith’s efforts to obtain an order of protection at the time of Brand’s parole hearing.
“At the time of (Brand’s) hearing, the Prisoner Review Board did not have any information to indicate that the victim was currently petitioning for an Order of Protection at the trial court level or any pending hearings associated with her petition.
This is not information generally provided to the Board. As a result, the PRB was not able to take that new, important information into consideration,” the statement read.
During a news conference, Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said the violent attack “should not have happened” because Brand had previously violated protection orders. “He has three orders of protection violations against him,” according to Snelling.
Antoinette Ursitti, the chief of Chicago’s Bureau of Detectives, said during the March 15 news conference that this was the suspect’s second time on parole, CNN reported.
Brand was reportedly sent back to jail after he made threats to Smith vis text with whom he had a relationship over 15 years ago, and showed up at her home. He has now been charged with nine felony counts, including first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder.
The Governor expressed his commitment to implementing additional safeguards and training to prevent similar tragedies in the future. Additionally, the review board chair, Donald Shelton, announced his resignation, although it is unclear if it is directly related to the incident.
Jayden Perkins school described him as “an exceptional young man” with a passion for theater and a kind heart that touched the lives of everyone he met.
“He was known for his love of spending time with friends, playing sports, and performing. His infectious laughter and kind heart touched the lives of everyone he met,” it states.
Jayden Perkins family are working towards making change for domestic violence through a petition set up here on change.org. Click the link to sign the petition. The family is advocating for better communication between parole boards, courts, and domestic violence victims.
