Prisoner Review Board member resigns after parolee kills boy in violent attack on Chicago's North Side
Prison Review Board member resigns after parolee commits murder
A member of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board resigned after a parolee killed an 11-year-old boy and attacked his pregnant mother in Edgewater earlier this month. LeAnn Miller handled Crosetti Brand's recent parole hearing, cutting him loose a day before the fatal attack.
CHICAGO - A member of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board resigned after signing off on the release of a known domestic abuser the day before he fatally attacked a child and a pregnant woman.
LeAnn Miller conducted the hearing for Crosetti Brand - the man accused of murdering 11-year-old Jayden Perkins and critically wounding his mother Laterria Smith in Edgewater earlier this month.
Brand, 37, was released from the Stateville Correctional Center with electronic monitoring on Tuesday, March 12, after serving about seven years. He broke into Smith's home in the 5900 block of North Ravenswood Avenue on the morning of March 13.
Prosecutors say Brand fatally stabbed Perkins and critically wounded Smith and her unborn child.
While Brand was on parole previously, he threatened the victim through text messages and also showed up at her home despite the victim having a lifetime order of protection against him. He was sent back to prison in February for a parole violation.
According to court records, in 2015, Brand attacked Smith just four days after she broke off their dating relationship.
"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 said. "My thoughts are with Laterria Smith as she recovers and with the entire family of Jayden Perkins as we mourn this tragic loss—may his memory be a blessing."
Pritzker says the board and the Illinois Department of Corrections will review the current rules and procedures for receiving information related to cases involving domestic violence.
The governor will appoint a new member to the Prisoner Review Board following a thorough search.