*Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced the resignation of the chair of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board following criticism for approving the release of a violent male who fatally stabbed his ex-girlfriend’s young son a day after being released.
Donald Shelter, the board chair, and LeAnn Miller, a board member, resigned on Monday after Crosetti Brand, 37, fatally stabbed 11-year-old Jayden Perkins on March 13, CBS 2 reports.
Perkins was stabbed in the chest while defending his mother, Laterria Smith, 33, after Brand ambushed the woman in the doorway of her residence, New York Post reports. According to reports, the mother and son were leaving the home when she opened the door and was startled to see Brand standing outside the house. The attack occurred less than 24 hours after he was granted parole from the Stateville Correctional Center. The mother endured a neck stabbing but survived the assault.
Last month, Smith sought an order of protection against Brand. At the time of the filing, he was serving 16 years in prison for home invasion and aggravated assault, according to The Post.
News: Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker announced the resignation of LeAnn Miller, a member of the Prisoner Review Board who was involved in the release of the man who is accused of killing 11- year old Jayden Perkins and seriously wounding his mother an her unborn child. pic.twitter.com/VP3E3j1KEg
— Abby D. Phillip (@abbydphillip) March 25, 2024
According to CBS 2, a Cook County judge set a hearing for the order on March 13. Miller reportedly approved Brand for parole on March 12. Smith and her son were attacked the next day, hours before the hearing was set to take place.
The Illinois Department of Corrections and the Illinois Prisoner Review Board assert they had no knowledge of the protection order hearing. However, CBS 2 obtained emails indicating that the Department of Corrections was informed of the hearing in late February.
NEW: Illinois board member resigns after parolee kills boy and injures pregnant ex-girlfriend the next day after he was released
Crosetti Brand, 37, allegedly killed an 11-year-old boy and injured a pregnant woman a day after being released on parole earlier this month
LeAnn… pic.twitter.com/O1DnOcWSQv
— Unlimited L’s (@unlimited_ls) March 26, 2024
After the station reported on the emails, Pritzker announced Shelton and Miller’s resignations.
“The Prisoner Review Board must be able to operate independently as they review enormously difficult cases, but I believe LeAnn Miller has made the correct decision in stepping down from her role,” the governor’s statement read.
11-year-old Jayden Perkins, a beloved dancer who was talented beyond his years, was killed trying to protect his pregnant mother from a serial domestic abuserhttps://t.co/jTVD8Yuygt pic.twitter.com/fRspAPNpxY
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) March 19, 2024
“It is clear that evidence in this case was not given the careful consideration that victims of domestic violence deserve, and I am committed to ensuring additional safeguards and training are in place to prevent tragedies like this from happening again,” Pritzker added.
Brand now faces a murder charge along with several other offenses, including breaching a protection order related to Jayden’s death.
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