Court
September 19, 2020
AJ Freund: 5-year-old boy found beaten to death, father takes plea deal for 30 years in prison
AJ’s mother is already serving a 35 year sentence after pleading guilty to murder.
Search Results for: aj freund
Podcast
September 15, 2020
Tuesday Crime Stories: 5-yr-old AJ Freund DEAD in shallow grave, wrapped in plastic. DCFS WORKERS FACE CRIMINAL CHARGES!
The parents of 5-year-old AJ Freund report him missing. When confronted with forensic analysis their cellphones and other information, they both reportedly provide details that lead to the little boy’s location. His body is later found wrapped in plastic in a shallow grave. AJ’s parents are charged with murder, but what about the Illinois Department …
child endangerment
September 11, 2020
AJ Freund: 2 former DCFS employees arrested after little boy found beaten to death by parents [Police]
Two former Illinois Department of Children and Family Services were arrested in connection with AJ Freund, a 5-year-old boy reportedly beaten and killed by his parents in 2019. Northwest Herald reports that McHenry County police arrested Carlos Acosta, 54, and Andrew Polovin, 48, Thursday afternoon on felony charges. Acosta was a McHenry County Board member …
Family Crime
April 30, 2019
‘Our little superhero’: Family of AJ Freund says he made the ‘ultimate sacrifice’ by dying to protect his siblings
Relatives of an Illinois boy found wrapped in plastic and buried allegedly at his parents hands are speaking out about the “little superhero” they believe selflessly acted to save his siblings. As CrimeOnline previously reported, A.J. Freund’s body was found buried in a shallow grave last week, about a week after he was reported missing …
Juveniles
April 25, 2019
‘Major Failures’: State investigates after DCFS was called to ‘cluttered, dirty’ home 17 times before 5-year-old boy A.J. Freund died
The state of Illinois plans to investigate to see if the Department of Children and Family Services were neglectful in connection with 5-year-old A.J. Freund, a boy found dead Wednesday, wrapped in plastic and placed in a shallow grave. Authorities found A.J. on Wednesday, buried in a rural area in Woodstock, Illinois, a few miles …
Court
July 17, 2020
A.J. Freund: Killer mom sentenced to 35 years in prison for death of 5-year-old son
JoAnn Cunningham, who pleaded guilty to killing her 5-year-old son in April 2019, was sentenced to 35 years in prison for the crime on Friday, after two days of emotional testimony, the North West Herald reports. Cunningham, 37, pleaded guilty on December 5, 2019, to a single count of first degree murder, after denying she …
Court
July 16, 2020
A.J. Freund: Mother says at sentencing hearing she would ‘give my life’ to have back the 5-year-old son she killed
The sentencing hearing for an Illinois woman who pleaded guilty to killing her 5-year-old son in April 2019 began Thursday with testimony from neighbors, audio tapes of the boy arguing with his mother, and the mother’s own testimony that she would do anything to have him back, the North West Herald reported. JoAnn Cunningham changed …
Murder
December 5, 2019
A.J. Freund: Mom accused of killing 5-year-old son pleads guilty
An Illinois woman accused of killing her 5-year-old son Andrew “A.J.” Freund has pleaded guilty to his death and faces 20 to 60 years in prison when she is sentenced early next year, NBC Chicago reported. JoAnn Cunningham, 36, previously pleaded not guilty and requested a jury trial. As CrimeOnline previously reported, Andrew Freund Sr. …
Court
May 14, 2019
A.J. Freund: Little boy’s social workers were overloaded with cases, higher than legally allowed by federal consent decree [Report]
Social services workers assigned to the case of now-deceased boy, A.J. Freund, were apparently overloaded with cases during the time they made visits to the child’s home. It’s an ongoing problem with the Illinois Department of Family and Children Services, according to recent information revealed to a federal judge. Chicago Tribune reports that a lawyer …
Murder
May 3, 2019
‘Leave me alone!’: Trembling friend of A.J. Freund’s mother was at his home when he was reported missing. Now she’s getting death threats
A reported friend of an Illinois woman accused of killing of her 5-year-old son, A.J. Freund, says she’s been receiving death threats after the public learned she was at the family home on the day the boy was reported missing. “If I would have known what I know now I would have done a heck …
Murder
May 2, 2019
SEE IT: Inside photos of filthy, cluttered home where abused boy A.J. Freund died
Newly released photos revealed a look inside the Crystal Lake, Illinois, home where 5-year-old A.J. Freund died. Police found the young boy deceased last month, and his parents have been charged with his death. FOX 32 reports that the pictures, obtained via the Freedom of Information Act (FIOA), were taken by Crystal Lake officers who …
Murder
May 2, 2019
A.J. Freund: Video emerges of mother screaming at little boy before his death, badly beaten for lying about ‘soiled underwear’ [Affidavit]
An affidavit filed in McHenry County court revealed heartbreaking details on how authorities cracked the case of 5-year-old Andrew “A.J.” Freund, a Crystal Lake, Illinois, boy reportedly killed by his own parents for urinating on himself. ABC 7 reports that according to the newly-released affidavit, Crystal Lake police found a video of A.J. on his …