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The chair of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board and a board member have resigned following backlash for granting the release of a man who fatally stabbed his ex-girlfriend’s young son less than 24 hours after being freed. The board chair, Donald Shelter, and board member LeAnn Miller stepped down after 11-year-old Jayden Perkins was murdered on March 13. Perkins was allegedly stabbed in the chest by his mother’s ex-boyfriend, Crosetti Brand, who ambushed Perkins and his mother, Laterria Smith, in their home in Edgewater shortly after being granted parole from the Stateville Correctional Center.

Smith survived the attack despite being stabbed in the neck. Miller reportedly approved Brand for parole the day before the attack occurred. The incident caused widespread outrage as Smith had just filed an order of protection against Brand the previous month. At the time of the filing, Brand was serving a 16-year sentence for home invasion and aggravated assault. A hearing was scheduled for March 13 regarding the order of protection, but the attack occurred just hours before the hearing was supposed to take place.

Both the Illinois Department of Corrections and the Illinois Prisoner Review Board claimed they were unaware of the protection order hearing, but emails obtained by the media indicated that the Department of Corrections was informed about the hearing in advance. Governor JB Pritzker announced the resignations of Shelton and Miller following the incident. He acknowledged that the evidence in this case was not given the careful consideration that victims of domestic violence deserve and expressed his commitment to ensuring additional safeguards and training to prevent similar tragedies in the future.

Brand had been paroled in October before being re-arrested in February for allegedly threatening a female via text. He now faces a murder charge and other violations, including the violation of a protection order, in connection with Perkins’ death. The Cook County Circuit Court Clerk’s office acknowledged that the failure around Brand’s parole could impact others seeking protective orders against soon-to-be-released inmates. The office emphasized the need to rectify these issues immediately to protect victims of domestic violence.

The failure to properly handle the protection order against Brand raised concerns about the transparency and efficiency of the court system. Circuit Court Clerk Iris Martinez highlighted the importance of providing basic data to the public to ensure the safety of individuals seeking protection from domestic violence. She emphasized that the court system must rectify these issues to better serve the community and provide resources for victims of gender-based violence. Martinez called for immediate action to address the communication gaps that led to the tragedy involving Brand’s release and subsequent murder of Perkins.

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