Man accused of attacking ex-girlfriend and killing her 11-year-old son testifies in court

CHICAGO (WGN) — The man accused of attacking his pregnant ex-girlfriend in Edgewater and killing her 11-year-old son testified in his own defense Monday.

39-year-old Crosetti Brand is representing himself despite no prior legal training.

He is accused of attacking his ex-girlfriend, Lateria Smith, who was four months pregnant at the time of the incident, and stabbing her 11-year-old son, Jayden Perkins, to death.

On the morning of March 13, 2024, officers responded to Smith’s home in the 5900 block of North Ravenswood Avenue.

On the stand, Brand claims he and Smith got into an argument after she found videos of him with other women on his phone, and the fight turned physical when Smith grabbed two knives. He says Perkins came to help his mother.

Brand says while Smith was trying to stab him “she collided with Perkins and stabbed him in the chest.”

He says he gained control of one of the knives and stabbed Smith several times in self-defense.

Prosecutors argued that Brand was out of prison for just one day at the time of the attack and wasn’t supposed to be in contact with Smith due to an active order of protection.

Smith came to the courthouse and shared her side of the story a few weeks ago. She says Brand forced his way into the home and began stabbing her, but Perkins saved her life.

Testifying about the fatal stabbing, Smith’s emotions poured through, causing a temporary break in court proceedings. Following what sheriff’s deputies described as a panic attack, Smith returned to the stand to identify Brand as the man who killed her son.

It’s unclear whether Brand will call any other witnesses to the stand.

Brand faces 17 charges, including first-degree murder and domestic battery.

• The Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24/7 at: 1-877-863-6338
• The National Domestic Violence Hotline is: 1-800-799-7233.