Man accused of killing boy trying to protect pregnant mom in Edgewater representing self in trial

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The trial of a Chicago man accused of killing an 11-year-old boy in Edgewater last year continued on Monday.

Crosetti Brand, 39, faces several charges, including first-degree murder.

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Jayden Perkins was stabbed to death, while trying to protect his mother in March of 2024.

His mother, Laterria Smith, who was pregnant at the time, was also seriously hurt.

Brand was released on parole the day before the attack.

The 39-year-old suspect was representing himself on Monday. He demanded a speedy trial, forcing the state to expedite the process of turning over evidence.

Opening statements began on Monday morning.

Prosecutor Danny Hanichak told the jurors Smith was stabbed 11 times, and her son, Jayden, was stabbed once in the chest.

"As this man was stabbing his mother, this is when he went from being an 11-year-old kid to a hero," Hanichak said.

"The defendant's intent was not to commit a crime. The defendant's intent was to defend himself, which is not a crime," Brand told jurors.

Smith was the first to testify.

She testified about on-and-off relations with Brand since she was 15. She is now 34. She told the jurors of threats and an attack that led to an order of protection against Brand.

She said, in one incident in 2006, he had a gun and was waving it around.

"Did he say anything?" Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Stephanie Gersch asked.

"That he was going to kill me," Smith said.

There was another incident in 2008 when he allegedly waited for her to get off a bus.

"He punched me in the mouth, and he choked me. And he was kicking me," Smith said.

The trial is expected to last about three weeks.

Smith filed a wrongful-death lawsuit, claiming that her son's killing was preventable.

The death of Perkins and a woman whose husband was on electronic monitoring when he reportedly killed her on the Northwest Side have led to the Cook County State's Attorney's Office making domestic violence cases a priority.

You can contact the Illinois domestic violence hotline at 1-877-863-6338 click here for more information.