A member of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board resigned on Monday. This resignation came in the aftermath of the board’s decision to release a man who, merely a day after his release, brutally attacked a pregnant woman in Chicago with a knife and fatally stabbed her 11-year-old son as he heroically attempted to protect his mother.
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According to Yahoo! News, Governor J.B. Pritzker has announced that LeAnn Miller, a 63-year-old from Junction, has resigned from her position. This follows an incident in which Miller drafted a report that led to the release of Crosetti Brand, a 37-year-old. However, the decision to release Brand has sparked controversy due to the tragedy that followed. Brand, a convicted felon with a history of violating protection orders and threatening ex-girlfriend Laterria Smith, carried out the violent attack on March 13. According to police reports, Brand entered Smith’s apartment armed with a knife, assaulting her and ultimately taking the life of her son, Jayden Perkins. Smith, aged 33, is currently hospitalized in critical condition, though there is hope for her and her unborn child’s survival. Miraculously, her 6-year-old son, who was also present during the assault, remained unharmed.
“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,” Governor 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. My thoughts are with Laterria Smith as she recovers and with the entire family of Jayden Perkins as we mourn this tragic loss—may his memory be a blessing,” he continued.
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The decision-making process that resulted in Brand’s release has come under scrutiny following a recent incident. Board members Ken Tupy and Krystal Tison had agreed with Miller’s recommendation, which has raised concerns about the board’s evaluative processes. In response to this incident, Governor Pritzker ordered the Prisoner Review Board to work with experts and advocates to develop and implement comprehensive training on handling domestic violence cases. Additionally, the board and the Department of Corrections will review their information-sharing procedures to improve their approach to domestic violence cases. Pritzker has also suggested that legislative changes may be necessary to give officials greater authority in such cases.
Brand, who had previously served half of a 16-year sentence for assaulting another ex-partner, was paroled in October before being taken back into custody in February for violating the terms of his release. Despite being accused of contacting Smith, whom he had a relationship with 15 years ago and who had an order of protection against him, Brand was released after his electronic monitoring data and other evidence were deemed insufficient to corroborate Smith’s claims.
