Photo: Chicago Police Department
A member of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board resigned after a man killed an 11-year-old boy one day after he was released on parole.
Crosetti Brand, 37, was serving a 16-year prison sentence for home invasion and aggravated assault. Board member LeAnn Miller conducted Brand's parole hearing, during which the 15-member board decided to grant him early release with electronic monitoring. Brand was released from jail on March 12.
The next day, Brand attacked his pregnant ex-girlfriend at her house while she was getting her two kids ready for school. As he stabbed her multiple times, her son, 11-year-old Jayden Perkins, tried to fight him off, getting stabbed in the process.
Perkins died in the attack, but his mother is expected to survive.
Brand was arrested a few hours after the attack and charged with first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder.
After the violent incident, Miller tendered her resignation from the board.
"The Prisoner Review Board must be able to operate independently as they review enormously difficult cases, but I believe LeAnn Miller has made the correct decision in stepping down from her role." Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said. "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."
Prisoner Review Board Chair Donald Shelton also stepped down on Monday (March 25), though his reasons were not released.