The trial of a man accused of fatally stabbing an 11-year-old as the boy tried to protect his pregnant mother is now underway.

Crosetti Brand is facing trial in connection to the Edgewater attack that occurred in March 2024, accused of killing 11-year-old Jayden Perkins.

Prosecutors allege that Perkins was trying to protect his pregnant mother from Brand, who allegedly broke into the Edgewater residence and stabbed the boy multiple times.

The March 13, 2024 attack occurred just one day after Brand was released from prison, according to prosecutors. Brand, whom Chicago police said “had a history of domestic abuse,” was the subject of multiple orders of protection at the time of the attack.

Prosecutors say Jayden’s mother Laterria Smith was on the phone with her mother when Brand forced his way into the family’s apartment. Court documents say Brand began stabbing Smith, with her mother hearing the attack on the phone before someone hung up.

Jayden tried to intervene in the attack and was fatally stabbed, according to prosecutors.

Smith was the first witness to take the stand in the trial, shining a light on more than a decade of abuse and romantic relationships with the man who stands accused of killing her son.

 Prosecutors say Smith was 15 and Brand was 19 when they first met, and trouble began in short order, as Smith sought a protection order against him when they were still teens.

Brand was ultimately incarcerated for abusing another woman, but prosecutors say when he was released from prison, he resumed a secret relationship with Smith.

The tumultuous relationship came to a head in March 2024 when Smith told Brand that she no longer wanted to see him, which ultimately led to the fatal attack.

The trial is expected to continue Tuesday, with Brand serving as his own defense attorney in the case.