A Cook County jury has ruled that a registered sex offender from Chicago, with a long history of attacking girls and women, is a sexually violent person and should remain in custody.
Following the verdict, Cook County Circuit Court Judge Peggy Chiampas ordered 58-year-old Leroy Brown to remain in the custody of the Illinois Department of Human Services for treatment, according to Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office.
“The defendant has a history of violent sexual attacks upon women and girls, and previously fled the state to avoid being held accountable for his crimes,” Madigan said in a statement. “I appreciate the jury’s recognition that allowing him to re-enter society would greatly jeopardize the public’s safety.”
His history of violent attacks dates back to the 1980s, Madigan said.
In 1984, Brown moved from Chicago to Minnesota after learning that police were searching for him in connection with a rape case. Months later, he was sentenced to 11 years in prison in Minnesota for raping a woman at knifepoint, the AG’s office said.
He was also convicted of a Chicago rape and sentenced to 20 years in prion in Illinois, a sentence that was combined with the Minnesota sentence.
In 1996, Brown was convicted in Illinois of breaking into a neighbor’s apartment and sexually assaulting a sleeping child younger than 13, Madigan’s office said.
When he had completed that sentence, Madigan asked the court to rule him a sexually violent person.
Under the Sexually Violent Persons Commitment Act, a judge can commit offenders to the custody of IDHS.
A person must have been convicted of a sexually violent offense and suffer from a mental disorder, Madigan’s office said. Prosecutors must also prove that the offender is likely to commit future acts of sexual violence if released from custody.
Once committed to IDHS, offenders are re-evaluated on a regular basis to determine if they continue to meet the criteria for commitment.