A judge sentenced a mother to 45 years in prison in the “brutal and heinous” murder of her 6-year-old son in North Chicago whose burned body was dumped near an abandoned home.
Jannie M. Perry, 42, of North Chicago, was charged in January 2022, with first-degree murder, dismembering a human body, aggravated battery of a child, aggravated domestic battery, concealing a homicidal death, child endangerment, abuse of a corpse, parent giving false information, failure to report child death and obstructing justice for the death of her son — 6-year-old Damari Perry.
Prosecutors also charged Damari’s 25-year-old brother, Jeremiah R. Perry, with first-degree murder, dismembering a human body, aggravated battery of a child, aggravated domestic battery, concealing a homicidal death, child endangerment, abuse of a corpse and obstructing justice.
A third defendant, who authorities said is a juvenile family member, was also charged in the case.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Kyle Doyle said the family of Damari reported that the boy “did something that the mother felt needed to be punished for” on December 29, 2021.
Detectives testified that Damari took food from the garbage, which upset the mother and other members of the household.
The next day, Damari was put into a tub or shower with the cold water on for an “extended period of time,” Doyle said.
Damari vomited and became unresponsive at some point. It was determined the boy was deceased but no one in the family called 911, Doyle said.
The incident occurred at the family’s apartment in the 1700 block of Sheridan Road in North Chicago.
Doyle said that Jannie Perry and Jeremiah Perry discussed how to dispose of the body and ended up taking it to Indiana.
The family drove Damari’s body to Indiana, burned it and left him near an abandoned garage, detectives testified.
Almost a week after Damari’s death, the family reported the boy missing on January 5, 2022.
Damari’s 16-year-old sister told investigators that she and Damari were driven to a party in the Skokie area by a man and a woman.
Damari’s sister claimed that she had several drinks at the party and fell asleep. When she awoke approximately two hours later, she claimed Damari and the man were no longer in the apartment.
Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said investigators determined the family’s story about Damari going missing in Skokie was “completely false.”
Information from witnesses led to the discovery of Damari’s body near an abandoned house in the 700 block of Van Buren Street in Gary, Indiana, according to police and the state’s attorney’s office.
The boy was found wrapped naked in a plastic trash bag, the Lake County, Indiana, Coroner’s Office said.
Detectives testified that one of the witnesses ultimately led them to the location of Damari’s body.
He had bruises, an extremely cold core temperature and partially frozen internal organs, an autopsy found.
His death was ruled a homicide and the cause of death was ruled hypothermia. The coroner’s office said Damari also had postmortem burns.
According to the grand jury indictment, the grand jury found evidence that the boy’s murder was “exceptionally brutal and heinous,” which allows prosecutors to seek natural life sentences.
“As prosecutors considered the crime scene where Damari died, it became clear that this was a calculated plan against a small child. Damari’s final minutes warrant the sentencing enhancements that accompany such ‘brutal and heinous’ circumstances,” Rinehart said in 2022.
The charge of dismembering a human body stems from evidence that the family burned Damari’s remains after his death.
Court records show Jannie Perry entered into a partially negotiated plea deal in December with the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office.
She pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree murder and the rest of her charges were dismissed, which means she no longer faces the natural life in prison sentence.
Prosecutors previously indicated that they could seek up to 60 years in prison for the dismembering charge alone.
The charge she pleaded guilty to carries a minimum of 20 years and a maximum of 45 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC).
Lake County Judge Christopher Lombardo sentenced Perry to 45 years in the IDOC following a sentencing hearing held on Thursday afternoon.
Before being sentenced, Perry gave a very brief statement of allocution where she apologized and said that she has been a mother for over 20 years but that it “doesn’t come with a manual.”
Two North Chicago police officers testified during the hearing and prosecutors also played two videos for the judge.
One of them was only a few seconds and showed Damari’s sister knocking his head against the kitchen counter after catching the boy in the garbage.
The second video was several minutes long and showed a phone setup to catch Damari “stealing” crackers.
Both videos, which showed the boy naked with his hands tied behind his back, were texted to the mother, who responded by saying she was so sick of the “disgusting skeleton.”
A victim impact statement was given by Damari’s father, who described the boy as being a strong, sweet and loving little boy who only wanted to be loved by those around him.
Prosecutors argued that the crime was not a result of a mistake but part of a pattern of abuse by his mother that he had endured.
Prosecutors showed evidence that Damari appeared to be malnourished and had a missing patch of hair.
Prosecutors sought the maximum 45-year sentence, while Perry’s defense attorney sought 20 years, before Lombardo handed down his sentence.
The sentence will be served at 100% in accordance with truth-in-sentencing guidelines. She will receive credit for time spent in the county jail.
“We must honor Damari by making sure this never happens again. One way we can do this is by being loud and clear: If you choose to harm a child, and that child dies as a result of your abuse, you will be charged with murder, we will seek to detain you while the case is pending, and then you will face imprisonment,” Rinehart said after the sentencing hearing.
“This defendant’s cold and intentional actions to hurt a child has been answered with decades in prison. Our hearts and our efforts will always remain with those who loved and cared about Damari,” Rinehart said.
The case against Jeremiah Perry remains ongoing and is set for a jury trial on May 4.