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3w ago

Crosetti Brand Sentenced to Life Plus 120 Years in Jayden Perkins Killing

The landmark punishment is expected to drive policy changes strengthening parole reviews, expanding protections for domestic violence survivors.

CHICAGO, IL – AUGUST 04: Michael Soroka #41 of the Chicago Cubs pitches during the game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Monday, August 4, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Nick Loggarakis/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Laterria Smith, second from left, and Chris Perkins, right, walk out of the Leighton Criminal Court Building in Chicago alongside family and friends following a guilty verdict in the murder trial of Crosetti Brand on June 5, 2025. Brand was found guilty of killing Smith’s son Jayden Perkins, 11, who was trying to protect his mother from Brand’s knife attack on Smith. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
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Overview

  • Judge Angela Munari-Petrone described the attack as exceptionally brutal before sentencing Brand to life in prison plus 120 years.
  • A jury found Brand guilty of first-degree murder, attempted murder, home invasion and aggravated domestic battery after he opted to represent himself at trial.
  • Jayden Perkins was killed on March 13, 2024, when he intervened to protect his pregnant mother just one day after Brand’s parole release.
  • Laterria Smith’s emergency protection request was denied on the day of the attack, underscoring systemic failures in survivor safeguards.
  • The case prompted two resignations from the Illinois Prisoner Review Board and led Governor J.B. Pritzker to create a new domestic violence oversight position.