The case against Andrew Freund Sr., the father of slain Crystal Lake boy AJ Freund, might not go to trial as prosecutors and his attorney are expected to reach a plea deal by September 16. Andrew T. Freund Sr. appeared briefly Friday morning in a McHenry County courtroom for a trial date status hearing. Freund’s […]
Tag: andrew freund
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‘We are disappointed in the ruling,’ family of AJ Freund says in statement after Cunningham sentenced
AJ Freund’s family said that they are “disappointed and saddened” that a judge sentenced JoAnn Cunningham to only 35 years in prison for murdering the young boy. “We, the family of our beloved Andrew (AJ), are disappointed and saddened by the ruling of the Judge,” AJ Freund’s family, besides his parents, said in a statement […]
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Prosecutors looking into charges against DCFS supervisor in AJ Freund case
Prosecutors are looking into filing charges against a DCFS supervisor for his handling in the case of 5-year-old Crystal Lake boy Andrew Freund Jr., who was murdered in 2019. The Northwest Herald obtained a search warrant affidavit filed on May 7 by McHenry County State’s Attorney investigator Robert Diviacchi. The McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office […]
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AJ Freund’s DCFS investigator and his supervisor placed on leave, official says
Department of Children and Family Services caseworker Carlos Acosta and his supervisor, who were accused of conducting ‘sham investigations’ into AJ Freund’s abuse before his death, have been put on leave, a government official said. State Representative Allen Skillicorn (R-East Dundee) said Wednesday that a source at DCFS confirmed that caseworker Carlos Acosta and his […]
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New graphic details, including transcripts of police interviews, made public in AJ Freund’s murder
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article contains graphic details that may be upsetting to some readers. Prosecutors have released police interview transcripts with AJ Freund’s father and also revealed that police recovered a video that the young boy’s mother recorded of herself choking AJ just weeks before his death. JoAnn Cunningham, the mother of 5-year-old Andrew Freund, […]
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Mother of 5-year-old AJ Freund pleads guilty to murder in her son’s beating death
JoAnn Cunningham, the mother of 5-year-old Andrew Freund, has pleaded guilty Thursday morning to first-degree murder in the Crystal Lake boy’s beating death. Cunningham, who has been held in the McHenry County Jail on a $5 million bond, pleaded guilty at the McHenry County courthouse in front of Judge Robert Wilbrandt. She faces between 20 […]
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DCFS case workers conducted ‘sham investigations’ before 5-year-old AJ Freund died, lawsuit alleges
A federal lawsuit alleges that two DCFS case workers conducted ‘sham investigations’ and falsified reports despite clear signs that Andrew Freund was being abused before his death. “This week AJ should have been celebrating his 6th birthday, instead his family continues to mourn him. Unfortunately, the very people who were mandated to investigate the ongoing […]
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Large turnout expected at visitation for Andrew Freund
Crystal Lake police are expecting a large turnout and heavy traffic at the public visitation tomorrow for 5-year-old Andrew Freund, officials said. A public walk-through visitation for Andrew “AJ” Freund is scheduled for 1-8 p.m. Friday at Davenport Family Funeral Home, 419 East Terra Cotta Avenue in Crystal Lake. Overflow parking is at Willow Creek […]
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“AJ will always be our little superhero,” family of Andrew Freund says in statement
Six days after the body of 5-year-old Crystal Lake boy Andrew Freund was found buried near Woodstock, his relatives have released a statement describing the boy as ‘loving and caring’. Andrew Freund’s family attorney Peter J. Flowers released a statement on behalf of the family on Tuesday. Flowers represents AJ’s family, other than the biological […]