Illinois Mother Pleads Guilty After 6-Year-Old Son Dies from “Cold Shower Punishment” in What Prosecutors Call a Calculated Plan
ILLINOIS — A North Chicago mother is facing decades behind bars after admitting she forced her 6-year-old son under freezing cold water as a punishment the night before his birthday — a violent act prosecutors say was part of a “calculated plan against a small child.”
Jannie Perry, 42, pleaded guilty last week to first-degree murder in the death of her son, Damari Perry, according to court records. Prosecutors are recommending up to 45 years in prison, and her sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 30.
Charges including dismembering a human body, abuse of a corpse, and conspiracy were dropped as part of her plea agreement.
Family Allegedly Planned “Cold Shower Punishment” That Turned Deadly
Investigators say the abuse stemmed from an incident on Dec. 29, 2021, when the family became upset with Damari. According to prosecutors, Perry, her adult son Jeremiah Perry, and another juvenile family member “formulated and enacted a plan to severely punish Damari through prolonged exposure in a cold shower.”
Damari was reportedly held under ice-cold running water for an extended period — long enough to cause fatal hypothermia.
Rather than call for medical help, prosecutors say the adults waited over a week before filing a false missing child report with police on Jan. 5, 2022.
What followed, investigators say, was an elaborate attempt to conceal the brutality of his death.
False Kidnapping Story Quickly Unravels
Damari’s teenage sister initially told detectives that a man had taken her and Damari to a party in Skokie and that she had passed out after drinking alcohol. When she woke up, she said her brother and the man were gone.
That version of events soon collapsed.
Authorities discovered that after Damari died, his older brother Jeremiah Perry allegedly burned his body and dumped the remains in an alley in Gary, Indiana.
A grand jury later indicted both Jannie and Jeremiah Perry, describing the killing as “exceptionally brutal and heinous.” Jeremiah’s case is still ongoing.
Prosecutors Describe Appalling Abuse and Cover-Up
Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said evidence showed the killing was deliberate — and the family’s lack of urgency in seeking help made their intent unmistakable.
“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,” Rinehart said.
“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 additional charges.”
Damari would have turned 7 years old the day after the fatal abuse.
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