A North Chicago man who transported his young brother’s corpse to Indiana and then set it on fire in an attempt to cover up the boy’s death has been sentenced to 30 years in prison, according to court records.
Jeremiah Perry, 25, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Lake County Court to dismembering a corpse, a Class X felony, stemming from the death of his brother, 6-year-old Damari Perry.
The boy died from hypothermia on Dec. 30, 2021, after his mother forced him to stay in a cold shower for an extended period as a punishment, according to authorities.
Following Damari’s death, Jeremiah Perry and another relative drove the child’s body to Gary, Indiana, where they set his body on fire, authorities said.
The mother, Jannie Perry, was sentenced last month to 45 years in prison after she pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. The relative who aided Jeremiah Perry was charged as a juvenile.
According to court records, Lake County prosecutors dropped a number of charges facing Jeremiah in return for his guilty plea on the dismemberment charge. The 30-year term is the maximum sentence for the charge.
