Woman sentenced to maximum 45 years for murder of her 6-year-old son

A 42-year old woman will spend 45 years in prison for murdering her 6-year old son, who became unresponsive after being placed in a cold shower for an extended time as a punishment.

Jannie Perry was sentenced Thursday by Lake County Associate Judge D. Christopher Lombardo to the maximum allowed. Perry pleaded guilty Dec. 4 to one count of first-degree murder for actions involving her son, Damari, in late 2021.

Family members reported the boy missing to North Chicago police in January 2022 but the story was determined to have been fabricated, testimony showed.

Testimony revealed that on Dec. 30, 2021, Damari was placed in a cold shower for an extended amount of time as punishment for grabbing food from the garbage, according to a press release from the Lake County state's attorney's office.

He became unresponsive and none of the relatives sought medical attention. Instead, they drove the body to Indiana, burned it and left him near an abandoned garage, according to the release.

The boy's father in a victim impact statement described him as a strong, sweet and loving boy who only wanted to be loved by those around him.

Prosecutors argued the crime was part of a pattern of abuse. Prosecutors through video evidence showed Damari appeared to be malnourished and had a missing patch of hair.

Prosecutors also presented text messages in which Perry referred to her son as “ugly” and said she was “tired” of him, according to the release.

“We must honor Damari by making sure this never happens again,” Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart said after the hearing. “The defendant's cold and intentional actions to hurt a child has been answered with decades in prison.”

Perry must serve the full sentence.