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An image of Jayden Perkins is seen at a memorial on March 15, 2024.
CNN
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Illinois’ governor announced the resignation of a member of the state’s prison review board Monday, 10 days after a man who was on parole was charged with assaulting a former girlfriend and killing her 11-year-old son.
Lee Ann Miller recommended the release of Crosetti Brand, 37, and conducted the hearing that led to his parole, according to the governor’s office. CNN has reached out to Miller for comment.
Brandt is accused of stabbing 33-year-old Lateria Smith and killing her 11-year-old son Jaden Perkins as the child tried to protect her in their Chicago apartment on March 13, officials said at a press conference held two days later.
Smith’s 5-year-old son was also in the apartment and witnessed the stabbings, police said.
During the news conference, Chicago Police Chief Larry Snelling said the violent attack “shouldn’t have happened” because Brand had previously violated protection orders. “He has three protection violation warrants against him,” Snelling said.
Snelling said Brand had been paroled the day before the attack, noting that the suspect “is still serving a 16-year sentence for home invasion where he caused injury.”
This is the suspect’s second parole, said Antoinette Ursiti, chief of the Chicago Bureau of Detectives, during the March 15 press conference.
Ursiti said Brandt was taken back into custody on a parole violation after he threatened the 33-year-old victim, with whom he had a relationship more than 15 years ago, via text messages and showed up at her house.
Chicago Police Department
Crosetti brand
Brandt is charged with nine felonies, Ursiti said, including first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder.
The Prisoner Review Board told CNN in a statement Thursday that they were unaware Smith was seeking a protection order.
“At the time of (Brandt’s) hearing, the Prisoner Review Board did not have any information indicating that the victim had currently filed for a court-level order of protection or any pending hearings related to her petition. This is not information that is normally provided to the Board. As a result, the PRB failed to take into account this important new information,” the statement said.
A court order obtained by CNN shows that Smith went to court on February 21 to request an emergency order of protection. The judge denied the motion, saying Smith “did not present sufficient evidence of an emergency.” The order says Smith’s case is set to continue on March 13, the same day the family was attacked.
Late last week, Prisoner Review Board General Counsel Kahala Clay told CNN in a statement that after Brand was returned to custody in February, “a PRB hearing found that the alleged violations did not meet the standards for his detention.”
The board is a bipartisan, independent group whose members are appointed by Illinois’ governor, who issued a statement Monday saying it was “clear that the evidence in this case was not given the careful attention that victims of domestic violence deserve.”
Governor JB Pritzker said he was “committed to providing additional precautions and training to prevent tragedies like this from happening again.”
A fundraiser for Jayden’s family, organized by the 11-year-old’s schools, described him as an “exceptional young man” who excelled at school and had a passion for theatre, starring in several school plays. “He was known for his love of spending time with friends, playing sports and playing. His infectious laugh and kind heart touched the lives of everyone he met,” the fundraiser said.
Later Monday, the governor announced the resignation of Board of Supervisors Chairman Donald Shelton.
“Donald Shelton has served the state of Illinois in his PRB role for more than a decade, providing a model of dedication to public service,” Pritzker said. It’s unclear if Shelton’s resignation is related to the March incident.