Illinois – An Illinois woman pIeaded guiIty last week to first-degree murder in the death of her chiId, 6-year-old Damiri, court records show. Prosecutors are recommending a sentence of up to forty five years in prison under a plea agreement that dropped several other counts, including charges related to dsmemberment, conspiracy and abuse of a corpse. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for next month.
Illinois authorities say the case began when family members reported the child missing in early Jan. 2022. Illinois authorities launched an investigation after the victim’s body was found days later in Indiana, wrapped in a trash bag and showing signs investigators said indicated an attempt to conceaI and alter the body after death. The County coroner’s office later reported the child had an extremely low core temperature and partially frozen internal organs, and ruled the cause of death hypothermia. Investigators also documented other injuries and signs of trauma.
The investigation included an autopsy, interviews with family members, forensic examinations of the body, and coordination between the Illinois authorities and other agencies. Prosecutors say detectives conducted multiple interviews with relatives and other people connected to the child’s last day, and reviewed physical evidence and medical findings before bringing charges. A grand jury ultimately returned a multi-count indictment charging the mother, 42-year-old J. Pery, and at least one of her children in connection with the death…