At the conclusion of the trial of a man who is accused of stabbing an 11-year-old kid to death while the boy was attempting to protect his pregnant mother, a verdict has been reached.
Crosetti Brand was found guilty on all counts in connection with the Edgewater attack that took place in March 2024. He was accused of responsible for the death of Jayden Perkins, who was 11 years old at the time. The conviction was reached on Thursday evening.
17 felony counts were brought against Brand, including first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, armed robbery, home invasion, and domestic assault. Brand was charged with all of these offences.
For the purpose of protecting his pregnant mother from Brand, who is accused of breaking into the Edgewater apartment and stabbing the boy many times, the prosecution claims that Perkins was attempting to protect his mother.
As far as the prosecution is concerned, the assault that took place on March 13, 2024 took place just one day after Brand was freed from prison. According to the Chicago Police Department, Brand “had a history of domestic abuse,” and at the time of the incident, he was the subject of multiple orders of protection.
Laterria Smith, Jayden’s mother, was reportedly talking on the phone with her own mother when Brand broke into the flat where the family was staying, according to the prosecution. According to the statements made in the court filings, Brand started stabbing Smith, and Smith’s mother was able to hear the attack on the phone before someone hung up.
Prosecutors claim that Jayden was tragically stabbed while attempting to intervene in the attack that was taking centre stage.
The first witness to testify in the trial was Smith, who shed light on more than a decade of abusive and romantic encounters with the man who is accused of killing her son. Smith was the first witness to testify in the trial.
According to the prosecution, Smith was 15 years old and Brand was 19 years old when they first met. Problems started to arise almost immediately after that, as Smith filed a protection order against Brand when they were still in their teenage years.
However, according to the prosecution, once Brand was freed from prison, he began a covert contact with Smith. This is despite the fact that Brand was ultimately sentenced to prison for the abuse of another woman.
In March of 2024, Smith informed Brand that she no longer desired to see him, which ultimately resulted in the fatal attack. This event brought the troubled relationship to a climax, which finally led to the situation.
