Jannie Perry Murdered Son, 6, With Icy Torture Punishment
‘Brutal and Heinous’ — Mom Confesses To Killing Son, 6, In Cold-Shower Torture
Jannie Perry, a 42-year-old mother from Illinois, has been charged in connection with the death of her six-year-old son, Damari Perry, who was subjected to a “prolonged” cold shower as punishment for misbehavior. According to the Chicago Tribune, Jannie pleaded guilty to a first-degree murder charge for the crime and entered a partially negotiated plea on Dec. 5. Damari died on or around the eve of his sixth birthday on Dec. 29, 2021. She is scheduled to be sentenced in late January.
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As part of the plea deal, prosecutors agreed to drop several of the charges she originally faced and to cap her sentencing recommendation at 45 years, a spokesperson for Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said Friday. Two of Perry’s children were also charged in connection with Damari’s death. Her 24-year-old son, Jeremiah Perry, is awaiting trial, while another child was charged as a juvenile.
What happened to Damari Perry?
Authorities said Damari was forced to stand in a cold shower for an extended period as punishment until he vomited and became unresponsive. He later died at the family residence in the 1700 block of North Sheridan Road. According to police, no one in the household sought medical help. An autopsy determined that Damari died of hypothermia. Afterward, investigators say Jeremiah transported the boy’s body to a neighborhood in Gary, where he attempted to burn it.
When the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office first announced charges against the Illinois mother and son in February 2022, both faced possible life sentences for Damari’s murder. The grand jury determined that the murder was “exceptionally brutal and heinous,” allowing prosecutors to pursue natural-life sentences for each defendant. Jannie and Jeremiah Perry were jointly indicted by a Lake County Grand Jury on eight counts of murder, along with charges including aggravated battery of a child, dismembering a human body, conspiracy, aggravated domestic battery, concealment of a homicidal death, endangering the life or health of a child, abuse of a corpse, and obstruction of justice.
Speaking about the court’s decision, Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart stated the time, “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. The defendants’ stunning failure to seek medical attention demonstrates their intent to end Damari’s life. Transporting and burning the body as part of a cover-up also warranted the additional serious charges we filed today.”
Jannie was additionally charged with failure to report the death or disappearance of a child under 13. It remains unclear which specific counts were dropped aside from the first-degree murder charge she pleaded guilty to last week.
According to Law & Crime, the Perrys waited more than a week after Damari’s death before filing a false missing-person report with the Skokie Police Department on Jan. 5, 2022. Newsweek reported that Damari’s 16-year-old sister told investigators that on Jan. 4, 2022, a man drove her and Damari to a party in Skokie, where she said she passed out from drinking too much alcohol. She claimed that when she awoke, both the man and her brother were gone.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Perry, a mother of seven, previously fought to regain custody of Damari in 2017 after he was placed in Illinois foster care following his birth in 2015.
Jannie Perry will be sentenced on Jan. 30, 2026. Jeremiah Perry is scheduled to begin trial on Feb. 9, 2026.
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