Allegations in Damari Perry’s death raise question: Is a cold shower punishment or torture? Child abuse experts weigh in

Chicago Tribune - 1/11/2022

The death of 5-year-old Damari Perry, allegedly at the hands of family members charged in connection with his death, has reignited discussions about corporal punishment, child abuse and, experts say, a larger category of severe, recurring punishment more closely resembling child torture — sometimes designed not to leave a visible injury.

Although he was originally reported missing by relatives who said he was last seen Jan. 4 at a party in Skokie, Damari is believed to have been dead several days before the Jan. 5 call to police was made. He died Dec. 29, the day before he would have turned 6, allegedly after a family member forced him to remain in a cold shower for an unspecified amount of time as punishment, prosecutors have said.

“Sometimes kids get punished in ways that are intended to not leave any marks,” said Betsy Goulet, a clinical assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Springfield who teaches ways to reveal less obvious physical abuse, “so you want there to be conversations that somehow bring that to the surface.”

Perry’s mother has been charged with first-degree murder, and two of her other sons also are charged in connection with the boy’s death, according to Jim Newton, a spokesman for the Lake County state’s attorney’s office.

In interviews with the Tribune, experts didn’t evaluate the validity of those charges or the specifics of the investigation into Damari’s death, but rather offered greater context on child abuse in general.

“I’ve been in this business for 40-plus years, and talking ... about this makes me uneasy,” said Arthur Lurigio, a psychology and criminal justice professor at Loyola University Chicago. “It’s horrible to even imagine.”

Allegations like the ones in Damari’s case may cross into the realm of child torture, “a level beyond” abuse, in a similar category as isolation, confinement and starvation, Lurigio said. Torture can go past episodic anger and is “designed to establish domination and control,” he said.

Without specifically addressing the Perry case, Lurigio said abusers, in general, often will dehumanize the child, lack empathy for the child, are unable to control their behaviors and occasionally may have intellectual limitations or traumatic brain injuries.

That’s because human brains are “hard-wired” on a basic, evolutionary level to care for kids and not hurt them, he added.

“Think about what you would have to overcome to be able to hurt a child to this degree,” Lurigio said. “We don’t hurt kids.”

It’s also not necessarily about trying to correct or prevent a behavior. Harsh punishment is about rage and instilling fear, Goulet said.

She partners with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services as a coordinator for the Child Protection Training Academy, a center for simulation-based child protection training.

Part of the training includes teaching advocates to look for less obvious signs of abuse in a home. This practice can include asking parents questions about their attitudes toward punishment, or looking for objects that could be used in abuse, such as heavy weights in a child’s room, Goulet said.

Though she wouldn’t speculate on the mindset of those involved in this case, cold showers might be used as punishment because parents think it “won’t harm a child,” Goulet said, “and we know otherwise.”

Still, cold showers are not a widespread cause of death for children, she said.

“It just so happens now we’ve heard about it in two pretty high profile cases,” she added, referring to the 2019 death of 5-year-old Andrew “AJ” Freund. Freund’s parents were convicted of causing his death in northwest suburban Crystal Lake, after he was put in a cold shower for an extended period and beaten.

Bill McCaffrey, a spokesman for DCFS, said he could not immediately determine how often this tactic is used in cases of child abuse.

Corporal punishment can be difficult to discuss, in part because of generational differences regarding how physical discipline is viewed, Goulet said.

There even are students in her child protection classes “who say, ‘Well, my parents hit me and I’m OK.’ And that’s a good starting point,” she said. Goulet implores those students to ask themselves about the effect of this type of punishment and whether there were times when it was too intense or caused fear, she added.

“Many of us grew up in homes where parents used different techniques,” she said, adding that advocates now know corporal punishment can cause brain damage — something that wasn’t widely known a generation ago.

Perry was placed into the foster care system soon after he was born at the end of 2015, according to DCFS records, but his mother, Jannie Perry, regained custody of her children in 2017. In May 2021, the agency investigated an allegation of abuse or neglect involving Damari, but that report later was determined to be unfounded, McCaffrey, the DCFS spokesman, said.

Jannie Perry’s oldest son, 20-year-old Jeremiah Perry, has been charged with aggravated battery and concealment of a homicide in connection with his brother’s death. Another of Perry’s sons, who authorities say is 17, has been charged as a juvenile.

In the past, charges might not have been filed against caregivers other than parents, according to Robin Wilson, a law professor at the University of Illinois.

However, child abuse laws have recently expanded to include other adults with caretaking relationships, such as siblings, Wilson said. This change acknowledges that other people than parents may have a significant role in a child’s life, and may have control over a child, she added.

No one in the home sought medical care for the boy, authorities said. After he died, family members allegedly left his body at an abandoned home in the 700 block of Van Buren Street in Gary, authorities said.

Jeremiah Perry is being held in the Lake County Jail in lieu of $3 million bail. He had been scheduled to appear in court again Tuesday, but details of the appearance weren’t immediately available.

Jannie Perry had been expected in bond court Sunday, but was hospitalized due to an undisclosed medical issue, authorities said.

Perry’s four other children have been placed in foster care with DCFS, McCaffrey said.