CHICAGO — Emotional testimony continued Wednesday in the trial of the man accused of killing a young boy who intervened to protect his pregnant mother.
Prosecutors say Crosetti Brand, 39, stabbed his ex-girlfriend Laterria Smith and her 11-year-old son Jayden Perkins.
According to authorities, Smith was four months pregnant at the time of the March 2024 incident with Perkins.
Smith was stabbed 11 times during the attack; Perkins did not survive.
Brand, the accused killer, is representing himself despite having no prior legal training. He claims that it was all in self-defense.
On Wednesday, Perkins’ grandmother took the stand.
Smith’s mother, Shirese Turner, said she called the children every morning to tell them she loved them and wished them a good day at school. And that is exactly what occurred on March 13, 2024.
While she was on the phone with the kids, she heard Smith open the door, and then there was screaming.
Turner attempted to call back but did not receive an answer. She rushed to her daughter’s apartment and found Smith bloodied on the floor.
In court, she admitted, “I was frozen, standing there in shock from what I was seeing.”
Brand is facing 17 charges, including first-degree murder and domestic battery.
The trial is expected to last three weeks.
