Left: Crosetti Brand (Chicago Police Department). Right: Jayden Perkins (Inclusive Funeral Care).
An Illinois resident has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of an 11-year-old boy who defended his pregnant mother during an attack, occurring just a day after the offender was released from prison.
Crosetti Brand, 39, was found guilty in June of the first-degree murder of young Jayden Perkins as well as the attempted murder and domestic battery of Jayden’s mother during a 2024 home invasion in Chicago. On Tuesday, a judge in Cook County imposed a life sentence on Brand for the murder, along with an additional 120 years for charges of attempted murder, domestic violence, and home invasion, as reported by the local ABC affiliate WLS.
As stated by prosecutors, Brand and Jayden’s mother began dating as teenagers. He was quickly abusive, leading her to attempt securing a protective order against him, particularly in the days before their tragic encounter after his prison release. On March 13, 2024, Brand forced his way into the victim’s home wielding a knife, declaring, “if I can’t have you, nobody can have you.”
Brand then launched a violent attack on the pregnant woman, stabbing her 15 times. Jayden courageously intervened to protect her but was fatally stabbed in the chest. His mother survived the attack.
Tuesday’s sentencing hearing was emotional. Jayden’s mother addressed her attacker and her son’s killer.
“You have taken away one of the greatest gifts God has blessed me with,” she said, according to NBC affiliate WMAQ. “I am broken without my son.”
Brand refused to attend the hearing in person, instead opting to listen in on Zoom.
Jayden’s father Christopher Perkins expressed his anger called him out for not showing up to court.
“I know you in this building somewhere, boy,” he said, according to the Chicago Tribune.
During the trial, the judge momentarily expelled Perkins from the courtroom, interpreting a portion of his statement as a threat. Perkins later came back and expressed his regret to the judge.
“I miss my baby, bro. It’s senseless,” he shared. “There’s not going to be a lot of relief. We’re still missing my baby. It’s just a small piece of closure for us, that’s all.”
Brand didn’t seem to have much patience for the judge handing down his sentence.
“You gonna give me life anyway, so it’s like why the f— am I sticking around?” he reportedly said before logging off.
Jayden’s murder had repercussions beyond just Brand. As Law&Crime previously reported, the judge who denied Jayden’s mother the protective order against Brand before the murder was reassigned from hearing domestic violence cases.
Two of the parole board members who granted Brand’s release from prison resigned and Illinois lawmakers passed a law that ensures victims can file impact statements before parole hearings, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
