Justice has been meted out to one abusive mother. Two others who authorities say have tortured their children await their courtroom fates after being hit with dozens of abuse counts.
Jannie Perry of North Chicago was sentenced last week to 45 years in prison for the 2021 murder of her 6-year-old son. She has been a resident of the Lake County jail since her arrest.
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In handing down the sentence, Lake County Circuit Court Judge Christopher Lombardo said: “That little boy probably never had a moment of joy” in his mother’s care.
Sadly, that appeared to be true as Clifford Ward detailed in an April 4 News-Sun front-page story the continued abuse tiny Damari Perry suffered at the hands of his 42-year-old mother and his six siblings. He died on his birthday, Dec. 30, 2021.
His limp body, which his familial assailants tried to burn with charcoal briquets, was found in Gary, Indiana, authorities said. The child’s older brother is awaiting trial on a murder charge, like his mother; another sibling was charged in the case as a juvenile.
Jannie Perry’s prison sentence ironically comes as Illinois and the nation mark National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Since 1983, the U.S. has dedicated the month of April to raising awareness about child abuse and promoting actions that protect children.
Apparently, two other Lake County mothers missed the messages from prior Aprils about the mistreatment of children and preventive strategies to help themselves. They are awaiting their legal turns in court, charged, along with their paramours, with beating their sons.
Like Fox Lake mom Priscilla Marshall, 34, whose 11-year-old son was found wandering village streets last month, bloody and beaten, authorities said. Prosecutors allege he was the victim of years of “systematic abuse and torture” — psychological and physical — at the hands of his mother and her live-in partner, Cody Marion, 35. Prosecutors argued Marion was complicit and could have done more to protect the child.
The Fox Lake boy was lucky compared to 8-year-old Markell Pierce of Round Lake Beach. The mother of the malnourished and badly bruised youngster, Dominque Servant, 33, has been charged, alongside her boyfriend, Joey Ruffin, 38, with causing Markell’s death in February.
State’s attorneys allege the pair engaged in a long-term pattern of mental and physical abuse of young Markell, including whipping him with a belt. State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart called the child’s death “slow-motion murder.”
Protecting kids should be priority one in our communities. It’s not like there is a lack of local campaigns to foster awareness and help keep our youngest residents in safe homes. There are plenty of resources and help available.
Such as the nationally recognized Rosalind Franklin University Children’s Advocacy Center Medical Clinic for child abuse/sexual assault survivors. The North Chicago university launched the clinic in fall 2024 with $1 million in state funding.
It is the first Illinois Department of Public Health-certified outpatient pediatric assault clinic. Clinicians work in collaboration with the Gurnee-based Lake County Children’s Advocacy Center, whose members include law enforcement personnel from across the county, prosecutors and staff from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.
The first-of-its-kind clinic is a child-centered alternative to a hospital emergency room, ensuring follow-up and care from trained specialists, officials say. Medical services directly in a children’s advocacy center strengthen coordination with investigators and offer consistent contact for families, university officials point out.
Providers in Lake County estimate that more than 500 area children ages 1 to 18 require specialized abuse services annually. In 2023, 587 county kids had cases that could have warranted sexual assault or abuse exams, yet only 20% received one, officials say.
The medical clinic is an out-of-the-box collaboration that could be replicated across Illinois for youngsters who have been dealt abuse at the hands of supposed loved ones. Other programs across Lake County offer a spectrum of awareness, education, events and additional resources to help families caught in the spiral of child abuse.
Certainly, child abuse is not inevitable. It’s preventable through advocating for stronger policies for abusers and community action. Also, by making sure those who whack their kids around are held responsible for their shocking and unthinkable actions.
With last Sunday being Easter and representing resurrection and renewal, National Child Abuse Prevention Month should be a new beginning for this year. April should be a start to end child abuse in Lake County and a pledge to nurture survivors of parental abuse.
Charles Selle is a former News-Sun reporter, political editor and editor. [email protected]. X @sellenews.