Tragedy unfolded in the Edgewater neighborhood of the North Side of the crime-ridden city of Chicago, where a 37-year-old convicted criminal named Crosetti Brand has been arrested after killing an 11-year-old boy and leaving the boy’s pregnant mother critically injured. The boy reportedly intervened to protect his mother from Brand, and was killed while trying to intervene.
Brand, who had been released from a sentence for a prior conviction, now faces a slew of charges over the incident, and is being held in custody while the case against him proceeds. Those charges he faces include first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, armed robbery, home invasion, and domestic battery.
Those who responded to the situation noted Brand’s violent record and how he was released from jail despite that shocking record, calling attention to the apparent inadequacy of the Chicago justice system’s handling of men like Brnad who pose a serious threat of future violence, particularly domestic violence.
For example, while speaking about the situation and Brand’s record, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx said, “This defendant has a history of domestic violence and had only been recently released from serving a sentence from a prior conviction.” Foxx continued, “The victim had an order of protection against him from previous encounters, and this history paints a disturbing pattern of behavior which emphasizes the importance of the filing of the charges today.”
Similarly, Chicago Police Chief of Detectives Antoinette Ursitti noted that Brand’s release from jail occurred despite both prior parole violations and his concerningly violent behavior. Ursitti said, “When he was paroled and placed on electronic monitoring this past October, while he was on parole, he threatens the female victim via text – and also showed up at her home. He was sent back to prison in February for this parole violation.”
In this case, Brand’s release from jail meant he was able to find his way back to the home of one of his victims, a 33-year-old woman who had previously sought protection from him because of acts of violence committed against her. In fact, her history of fear of him and attempted intimidation by him spanned a decade and half.
But, regardless of that history and the orders of protection the woman obtained in an attempt to protect her family, he was let out of prison and found his way back to her home as she readied her children for the school day. When Brand burst into the home, the woman’s 11-year-old son tried to intervene to protect her and was stabbed to death by Brand when trying to shield his mom from Brand’s violence.
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That stabbing death shocked and united the community, which mourned the young man and led to both community members and law enforcement officials honoring his desperate sacrifice. They also have noted that it is a sacrifice that would have been unnecessary had Brand been kept in prison and unable to harm the boy or his pregnant mother.
Watch the local media’s report on Jayden’s death here:
The Chicago Mayor, commenting on the incident, said, “ I am devastated by the murder of Jayden Perkins and the attempted murder of his mother. This despicable crime is a horrific reminder of the need for us to correct systemic failures, address the root causes of violence in our community, and continue to support our domestic violence and gender-based violence survivors, their families and communities, and the providers and advocates who do this work daily.”
Featured image credit: FACEBOOK/HELEN C. PEIRCE SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIE