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Prosecutors Rest Case in Trial of Crosetti Brand Over 2024 Edgewater Stabbing

The self-represented defendant has indicated he will testify following the prosecution’s three-week presentation of evidence

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Overview

  • Cook County prosecutors concluded their case June 2 after more than two dozen witnesses recounted the March 13, 2024, attack that killed 11-year-old Jayden Perkins and gravely injured his pregnant mother, Laterria Smith.
  • Brand, 39, faces charges of murder, attempted murder, home invasion and aggravated domestic battery and chose to represent himself throughout the proceedings.
  • Detective Michael Carroll described how surveillance footage tracked Brand disposing of a knife, changing clothes and discarding shoes as he fled Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood.
  • Smith identified Brand at her hospital bedside and testified that he had a history of domestic abuse and returned to her apartment days after his parole board release despite her requests to end the relationship.
  • With the state’s evidence complete, the trial moves to Brand’s defense phase, during which he may call witnesses or take the stand himself.