A jury has found Crosetti Brand guilty of stabbing his ex-partner and killing her 11-year-old son.

At 4-foot-2 and 99 pounds, 11-year-old Jayden Perkins fought bravely to protect his mother from her ex-boyfriend as the man attacked her with a knife, prosecutors told jurors Thursday.

Brand broke into the family’s home on March 13, 2024, with the clear intent to kill the woman who had rejected him, Assistant State’s Attorney Stephanie Gersch said.

“‘If I can’t have you, no one can.’ Those were the terrifying words that this defendant told to Laterria Smith as he invaded her home…words that he wanted to live up to,” Gersch said.

Smith was stabbed 15 times but survived. Jayden did not.

After a weeks-long, often disorderly trial, jurors deliberated for just an hour and 20 minutes Thursday

See Full Page