Latest news with #LaterriaSmith
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Daily Mail
Wicked stepdad's disgraceful courtroom outburst as he is jailed for life over murder of boy, 11
A convicted domestic abuser who stabbed an 11-year-old boy to death as the child heroically tried to protect his pregnant mother has been sentenced to life in prison - but not before launching into a vile tirade during his sentencing hearing. Crosetti Brand, 39, was handed a natural life sentence plus 120 years by Cook County Judge Angela Petrone on Tuesday, nearly 18 months after the horrific murder of Jayden Perkins in Chicago 's Ravenswood neighborhood. Laterria Smith, Jayden's grieving mother, addressed Brand directly in court, telling him: 'You have taken away one of the greatest gifts God has blessed me with. I will never be ok… You came and destroyed my life.' The judge described Jayden as 'a beautiful, innocent boy' who died protecting his mother and called the killing 'exceptionally brutal.' But Brand, who represented himself at trial, showed no remorse. Appearing virtually from jail, he initially asked to skip the hearing altogether, sneering at the judge: 'You gonna give me life anyway, so it's like why the f*** am I sticking around?' He ultimately stayed - only to interrupt prosecutors repeatedly with outbursts and objections as they presented new evidence, including a chilling voicemail he left Smith just weeks before the attack: 'You keep moving how you motherf***ing moving… You gonna see what I'm talking about,' he said in the message. Prosecutors revealed that Brand had also mailed Smith graphic photos from Jayden's autopsy and made threatening phone calls from jail, pressuring his mother to drop the charges and issuing threats against Jayden's father, prosecutors, and even the judge herself. When Petrone finally handed down the sentence, Brand logged off Zoom in defiance, telling her: 'I know I can't change your mind… I'm at peace. I'm gonna take it up with the notice of appeal court.' The tragedy unfolded on March 13, 2024 - just hours after Brand was released from prison - when he broke into Smith's home and ambushed her and Jayden as they were leaving for school. According to prosecutors Brand had been lying in wait inside the apartment with clear intent to kill the woman who had rejected him. He grabbed Smith in a chokehold and stabbed her 15 times. When Jayden stepped in to defend his mom, Brand turned the knife on him. Jayden died from his injuries. Smith, who was pregnant at the time, survived - as did her unborn daughter. 'Jayden is the hero out of all of this, because he saved his mother and his brand new sister's life,' said Smith's uncle, Titus Washington. 'Jayden is the hero.' Assistant State's Attorney Danny Hanichak blasted Brand as a chronic abuser who had spent nearly his entire adult life either behind bars or facing charges, primarily for violence against women and children. Brand had only recently completed 8 years of a 16-year sentence for attacking another ex and pointing a gun at her young son. He was released in October 2023. Within months he had began stalking and threatening Smith. Though Smith repeatedly reported his behavior to authorities and the parole board, Brand was inexplicably released again on March 12. Less than 24 hours later, Jayden was dead. 'Nothing will ever rehabilitate this defendant; he is nothing more than a pathetic lifelong criminal,' Hanichak said. 'What this criminal never counted on is that one 11-year-old boy would put an end to Crosetti Brand's terror.' Brand's self-representation during the trial made proceedings chaotic and painful for the victims' family, as he was permitted to cross-examine witnesses and even call himself to the stand. Jurors took less than 90 minutes to convict him on all charges, including first-degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated domestic battery, and home invasion. The case has since sparked outrage across Illinois and exposed grave flaws in the state's parole system. Two members of the Prisoner Review Board who authorized Brand's release resigned following the murder, and lawmakers have since passed legislation allowing victims to submit impact statements before parole decisions and seek restraining orders against parole candidates.
CBS News
05-08-2025
- CBS News
Sentencing underway for man convicted of stabbing Chicago pregnant woman, killing her son
Sentencing has started for the man convicted of killing an 11-year-old Chicago boy and stabbing his pregnant mother. In June, a jury found Crosetti Brand, 39, guilty after was charged with 17 counts, including first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, armed robbery, home invasion and domestic battery. Prosecutors said Brand attacked his ex-girlfriend, Laterria Smith, 33, and her son, Jayden Perkins, just one day after being released from jail in March of 2024. Smith is now suing the government agencies that released Brand from jail. Smith was critically wounded but survived. This is a developing story. CBS News Chicago will continue to provide updates.
CBS News
14-07-2025
- CBS News
Children Harmed
On their shared birthday, Jayden Perkins and Kameron Miles would each have candle-lit cupcakes while friends and family would sing to them. Born six years apart on May 28th, the brothers were bonded by more than just a date. Jayden, the older brother, would trick-or-treat with Kameron on Halloween, and taught him how to spell his name. For Kameron, Jayden was his hero. But that tradition of shared candles and shared memories came to a horrific end last year, when Jayden, just 11 years old, was stabbed to death inside their home — killed while trying to protect their mother, Laterria Smith, from a violent ex-boyfriend. Five-year-old Kameron witnessed the entire attack. Click here to read the full story.
CBS News
01-07-2025
- CBS News
Jayden Perkins murder exposes how the system leaves domestic violence victims, families vulnerable
Laterria Smith speaks out about court system failures that led to her son's murder Laterria Smith speaks out about court system failures that led to her son's murder Laterria Smith speaks out about court system failures that led to her son's murder The murder of 11-year-old Jayden Perkins has become an example of how domestic violence victims and their families are left vulnerable by the justice system. Perkins was killed outside his home in Edgewater when he tried to defend his pregnant mother, Laterria Smith, as she was attacked by her ex-boyfriend Crosetti Brand. Smith was stabbed 15 times that day, though she and her baby survived. Perkins was killed. "He, he stabbed my son. My son hit the floor," Smith recalled with some difficulty. "My son is a true hero." An investigation by CBS News Chicago found the system left Brand free to attack, and Smith in danger. "I feel like I took the necessary steps to, to be protected, me and my family, to be protected. But we weren't," Smith said. Smith filed a petition for an order of protection against Brand. She told the court that Brand "sent me several text messages saying he would kill me and my family." Despite that, the judge denied the emergency help, only giving her a future hearing date. "At that point I was scared, because I'm like, this is a life or death situation and I'm pleading, begging for help and you deny it?" she recalled. She said the judge denied the order because Brand was already incarcerated, but he had only been temporarily locked up for a parole violation in a separate case involving another woman. He was released just three weeks later by the Prisoner Review Board. Brand attacked Smith and her son the day after his release, and the same day her order of protection hearing was scheduled for. "Had they looked into his background and seen the types of things he was doing to women, they would never have let him out of jail the day before we had to go to court," Smith said. The CBS News Chicago investigation fond the judge, the Department of Corrections and the Prisoner Review Board all either failed to communicate or investigate critical information before Brand's release. "I want them to acknowledge the negligence that was made," Smith said. "I just keep saying to myself, 'This can't be my life now. This can't be.' I just keep saying, 'I want to wake up from this bad dream.' But no, it's real." Soon after our investigation two Prisoner Review Board members resigned, and lawmakers pushed to have the board go through mandatory domestic violence training.
CBS News
06-06-2025
- General
- CBS News
Mom of murdered 11-year-old Jayden Perkins on facing killer in court as he represented himself: "This is sick"
The mother of 11-year-old Jayden Perkins, who was stabbed to death protecting her from an attack by her ex-boyfriend, said his memory kept her strong as she had to face his killer in court. Laterria Smith was pregnant when she was stabbed 15 times by Crosetti Brand outside her home in Edgewater. Her son Jayden was killed trying to help her. "So I ran down the hall, trying to get away from him. Blood was just gushing from my neck. And that was like, 'I'm about to die,'" Smith recalled. "He, he stabbed my son. My son hit the floor. I said, 'Jayden, please get up.' He didn't move or anything. It just looked like my baby was sleeping right there on the floor." Smith and her baby girl survived; her daughter Jayda is named after the brother she will now only know through photos and videos. Brand was quickly caught and charged following the attack. "I want to see the person who did this to my son be put away forever," Smith said. A year later, Smith had to face Brand in court and, because he represented himself at trial, she was forced to be grilled by him on the witness stand. "I never even looked at him," she said. "I'm like sitting here, having to answer questions from the person who took my child away from me. This is sick." It was her son who kept her focused and strong. "At that moment, all I kept thinking about was my son Jayden. I'm like, 'I'm gonna sit here and do what I have to do so that I can get justice for him, 'cause I wanna see him, Brand, put away forever,'" she said. The 11-year-old was remembered for his talent, singing and dance, and how he'd light up a stage. His mom said he had drive and big dreams that were ripped away when he was killed. His memory is precious to her. "He always told me that, 'You're the best mom,'" she said through tears. "He always tell me like how much he love me and how great I'm doing as a mom." Jayden was a member of the Gus Giordano Dance Studio, where there is now a scholarship in his name. The first recipient was his best friend.
