Chicago, Illinois – A member of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board resigned after approving the release of a known domestic abuser, who went on to fatally attack an 11-year-old child and his pregnant mother in Edgewater. LeAnn Miller presided over Crosetti Brand’s parole hearing, granting his release a day before the tragic incident occurred.
Brand, a 37-year-old parolee from the Stateville Correctional Center, was placed under electronic monitoring on March 12 after serving approximately seven years. The following day, he unlawfully entered Laterria Smith’s residence on North Ravenswood Avenue, where he fatally stabbed young Jayden Perkins and critically wounded Smith and her unborn child.
Before this fatal attack, Brand had a history of threatening the victim with text messages and violating a lifetime order of protection. Despite being on parole previously, he was returned to prison in February for a parole violation. Additionally, in 2015, Brand attacked Smith just days after their dating relationship ended.
Following these tragic events, Governor Pritzker expressed a commitment to implementing additional safeguards and training to prevent such domestic violence-related tragedies in the future. Pritzker announced plans for a thorough review of current rules and procedures by the Prisoner Review Board and the Illinois Department of Corrections.
As a result of the resignation, a new member will be appointed to the Prisoner Review Board through a comprehensive selection process. The tragic loss of Jayden Perkins serves as a reminder of the importance of ensuring that cases involving domestic violence are carefully considered and addressed to prevent similar incidents from occurring.