IL - Andrew Freund, 5, Crystal Lake, 17 April 2019 *ARRESTS* *mother guilty* #5

[Trish51]

How the actual fack do they plead not guilty and want a jury just wow speechless

I'm there with you. I just shook my head. So much evidence and yet they pled not guilty. Are they planning on using mental illness and substance
abuse as their defense?

 

[MyBelle]

I'm there with you. I just shook my head. So much evidence and yet they pled not guilty. Are they planning on using mental illness and substance
abuse as their defense?

Going to trial means they get out of jail for a week or so and get to go to court. I think AF is an arrogant, covert, abusive narcissist, JC will claim domestic abuse but I also think no jury will have any problem convicting either one of them. Nor will I share a tear for either one one of these monsters.

JMO

 

[Only4Justice]

They want to split the difference on "reasonable doubt", jury nullification. They are married? So they can't be forced to testify against each other. No death penalty charge. If niether one breaks....but they already did on the body. Trial separate or together? If I was JC, I would get my own attorney and look out for myself. I can see the husband completely flipping on her. So she gets life, and he gets 5 years...

I say, put them both away for life! And don't blame this on DCFS. They were his parents. They could have at any point in time, give up custody of AJ.

I don’t believe they are married.

 

[Knox]

I don't want to forget what lying parents look like after they kill their own child and report him missing ...

 

[AnnaGrace]

I can barely look at their pictures. They make me sick. So evil. May they rot!

 

[MissMalowe]

His death is so tragic and sad. What is it about people who go crazy when a child is having problems with toilet training? Poor AJ, he was abused for just being a child. His short little life, I hope he had some happiness.

That one is ALWAYS a head scratcher for me too. Having an accident or wetting the bed? I don't understand how there are literally hundreds of home videos on youtube of parents walking into much bigger disasters that their children have created
and taking it in stride (paint covering absolutely everything in a living room, baby powder all over every surface in a nursery, nail polish and makeup on nearly every surface of the 2nd floor, a little girl with long hair whose brother buzz cut the entire back; of all kinds of awful (yet hilarious bc it's not your house & your kids) kinds of things.
But a bad parent and a bedwetting incident is often what sends some parents over the edge. And why? Most parents who go over the edge are previously abusive, and bedwetting is often a result of abuse, so it's a situation they've likely caused themselves, which makes it all the more awful that they react so angrily
A head scratcher indeed!

** Before I post this, I should mention that my bringing up funny/awful disasters other children have caused is to put things into perspective in terms of how bedwetting is rather minor in terms of things that children can do yet it's often listed as a "reason" or or at least the first event in a series of events that lead to a caregiver or parent murdering a child. It was brought up to give perspective in terms of normal parents' reactions to things that seem to be bigger/more difficult/messier vs. an abusive parent/murderer and a more minor wrong doing or accident. It wasn't to suggest any of those things should be punishable by murder. Just thought I'd cover my bases in case my poor wording would lead to someone to misinterpret what I was trying to point out **

 

[mickey2942]

@MissMalowe so true! And so unrealistic, unreasonable...kids are children, they make mistakes, they make messes, (let's not talk about me making cookies!).

Hopefully, these two will be far away from children forever! AJ is with angels now. At least that is a better place than where he was beaten for hours in a cold shower.

 

[Only4Justice]

And let’s not forget they supposedly locked him in his room. So how was the poor child supposed to use the bathroom?

 

[MyBelle]

And let’s not forget they supposedly locked him in his room. So how was the poor child supposed to use the bathroom?

Let's hope there are no more AJ's.
Groups Petition For Changes To DCFS Following AJ Freund's Death
Sign the Petition

 

[ilovechili]

Just checking in for AJ. I read this one and catch up only maybe once a week or two lately because the details are so tough--I do the same with Noah, I guess a few too many truly terrible child cases for me lately.

I am sure many others end up on them how I do? I go into the case because a child is missing and then I am invested when we come to find out what happened and how horrible. I tell myself to not go into another missing child case but then again, I feel these babies that were killed unfairly need a voice from us.

I stay with it to see justice come about for the babies and see what is new on that front in the case.

So just checking in on AJ and justice for him.

 

[Whiteorchids]

Even if they add 100 more charges to these monsters they will most likely lump them into a few with an acceptance of a guilty plea right even up to the jury selection. All these charges added is a way to convince and bargain with the monsters to accept a plea deal and some of the charges will be dropped into a few that how it usually works. These creeps aren’t going to want to go to trial so the world can hear their horrible history of abusing their kids and extensive heroin druggie life unless one takes it to trial hoping to blame the other like in the Rochelle Bond and Michael McCarthy murder of Bella Bond trial. They both heroin druggies and had a hand in her murder and disposing of her little body. I for one think she was the one who killed Bella but got offered a real nice cushy deal of probation to blame it all on him so he was convicted and she’s free.

The longer these monsters plead not guilty and hold out the better the offer gets before they or one of them accepts or one gets offered probation to testify against the other.

 

[Trudie]

Little AJ should be celebrating the arrival of summer & the holiday weekend, maybe at the lake or pool, eating sno cones, chasing bugs, riding his bike-eager to get training wheels off & all sorts of things.

Almost time for JC to deliver baby, right?

 

[ilovechili]

Just checking in for AJ and updates.

 

[Niner]

Thursday, May 30th:
*Custody Hearing for both (@ 10am CT) – IL – Andrew “AJ” Freund, Jr. (5) (reported missing April 17, 2018, Crystal Lake; found buried in shallow grave on April 24, 2019, near Woodstock) – *Andrew T. Freund, Sr. (60) “father” arrested (4/24/19), charged (4/25/19), indicted (5/9/19) & arraigned (5/10/19) with 5 counts of 1st degree murder, 3 counts of aggravated battery, 1 count of aggravated domestic battery, 1 count of failure to report death of child, 1 count of concealing a homicidal death (burying body), 1 count concealing death of a person, 1 count of circumstance of endangerment/death, 1 count abuse of corpse, 1 count of destroying evidence, 1 count of false info to LE, 2 counts of aggravated battery to child, 1 count of reckless conduct/great bodily harm, 1 count of unlawful restraint & 1 count of causing child to be endangered. Plead not guilty. $5M bond.
*JoAnn D. Cunningham (35) “mom” arrested (4/24/19), charged (4/25/19), indicted (5/9/19) & arraigned (5/10/19) with 5 counts of 1st degree murder, 4 counts of aggravated battery of child, 2 count of aggravated domestic battery, 2 counts of concealment of homicidal death, 1 count of failure to report death of child, 1 count of abuse of corpse, 1 count of obstruction of justice, 2 counts of unlawful restraint, 1 count of circumstance of endangerment/death & 1 count of causing child to be endangered. Plead not guilty. $5M bond.
4/25/19: Bond hearing. Arraignment hearing for both on 4/29.
4/29/19 Update: Officially charged with charges listed above. No pleas entered by either one. JC appointed public defender, AF will find his own attorney. Status hearing on 5/3 for Freund with attorney & both back for Preliminary hearing on 5/10 & expected to enter pleas. Also a custody hearing where the state ordered a paternity test to prove Freund, Sr. is the father of the 4yo. May 30th at 10am is the next custody hearing & there is a no contact order for Freund, Sr. & Cunningham to see the child. Representatives with the McHenry County State's Attorney's Office also filed a petition seeking to terminate Freund & Cunningham's parental rights.
5/3/19 Update: Judge appoints Special Public Defender for Freund. Next preliminary hearing on 5/10 for both.
5/10/19 Update: Indictment & charged Freund Sr. & Cunningham with 1st degree murder, aggravated battery and endangering the life a child on Thursday. Additional charges of unlawful restraint, abuse of a corpse, obstructing justice & aggravated domestic battery; both accused of recklessly & repeatedly striking AJ & detaining him by placing him in "time outs" for periods of multiple hours or longer on or between Sept. 20, 2018, and April 17, 2019, according to the grand jury indictment. Additional battery charges filed in the indictment stem from an incident on March 4 where AJ was struck, causing bodily harm to the boy. Three counts of first-degree murder, carry a potential life imprisonment sentence. Cunningham & Freund also face charges of aggravated battery, unlawful restraint & endangering the health of a child in connection with AJ's death, which allegedly occurred on or between April 15 and April 17. Freund is accused of allegedly burying AJ's body. Both are charged with failure to report a missing child or child's death for not reporting AJ's death to law enforcement within 24 hours after he died, according to court records. They are also charged with concealment of a death for knowingly moving the body of a dead person "with the intent of concealing information regarding the place or manner of death," and with abuse of a corpse for removing or carrying AJ's body even though they were "not authorized by law to do so.". Also Obstruction of justice charges. Next Status & Motions hearing on 6/18 @ 9am.


I shall shortening this up a bit after I post.

 

[DearPrudence]

Here's an update from the Chicago Tribune on today's status hearing:
Younger brother of slain Crystal Lake boy AJ Freund is doing 'great,' attorney says at court hearing

 

[Bugurl747]

-The 4-year-old was placed in temporary foster care.

-Outside court, Barrett declined to say where the boy was staying during proceedings to determine the couple’s parental rights.

-Cunningham is currently pregnant and expected to give birth within weeks.

-In court Thursday, Assistant State’s Attorney Julia Almeida said her office had not received the results of the DNA testing for the younger brother and Freund. She set June 23 as the deadline. The testing could have a bearing on custodial rights Andrew Freund has.

Younger brother of slain Crystal Lake boy AJ Freund is doing 'great,' attorney says at court hearing

 

[girlhasnoname]

I don't want to forget what lying parents look like after they kill their own child and report him missing ...

Fake, phony, lying liars and more importantly, child killers. I hope they both serve the maximum sentence possible the cowards!

ETA: JMO

 

[Knox]

-The 4-year-old was placed in temporary foster care.

-Outside court, Barrett declined to say where the boy was staying during proceedings to determine the couple’s parental rights.

-Cunningham is currently pregnant and expected to give birth within weeks.

-In court Thursday, Assistant State’s Attorney Julia Almeida said her office had not received the results of the DNA testing for the younger brother and Freund. She set June 23 as the deadline. The testing could have a bearing on custodial rights Andrew Freund has.

Younger brother of slain Crystal Lake boy AJ Freund is doing 'great,' attorney says at court hearing

Is there some doubt as to who the Father of younger brother is?

 

[ilovechili]

Thanks to the above posters for the updates.

Hard week after Lizzy and Maleah and then came here to check for updates and was reminded anew of what was done to poor AJ.

I do hope when they say the younger brother is doing wonderfully in temporary foster care that they know this for a fact. These children need no further abandonment or abuse or changes in their lives. I say children because her next one is due soon.

Anyhow, just checking for updates and praying for justice for AJ.

 

[formerjerseygirl]

Police Release Initial Report in AJ Freund Case
police report included