John Starks/Daily HeraldJoAnn Cunningham, 37, cries during her sentencing hearing in Woodstock, July 16, 2020.
Matthew Apgar/Northwest HeraldAndrew Freund Sr. is led into the courtroom at Sullivan Judicial Center for his guilty pleas and sentencing, Sept. 18, 2020, in Woodstock. He plead guilty to charges in connection to his son's death and will serve 30 consecutive years.- Stacey Wescott / Chicago TribuneRegan Bruski stands outside her home on Aug. 6, 2019, in Crystal Lake. On May 2, Bruski and her uncle erected the sign in memory of AJ Freund.
- John J. Kim / Chicago TribuneA police officer watches as sisters Nicole and Lindsey Kvasnicka place flowers, candles and a stuffed bear on the lawn of the home of missing 5-year-old AJ Freund in Crystal Lake on April 19, 2019.
- Abel Uribe / Chicago TribuneA small memorial on the front lawn of AJ Freund's home in Crystal Lake on April 20, 2019.
- Stacey Wescott/Chicago TribuneDivers search for AJ Freund in the pond at Veterans Acres Park on April 23, 2019, in Crystal Lake.
- Jose M. Osorio / Chicago TribuneThe home where 5-year-old AJ Freund lived and where he was beaten to death by his parents in Crystal Lake is torn down on March 4, 2020. AJ's mother, JoAnn Cunningham, has pleaded guilty to murder in his death.
- John J. Kim/Chicago TribuneA McHenry County sheriff's officer walks to his vehicle from a wooded area in an unincorporated area near Woodstock on April 24, 2019. The body of AJ Freund was found at the location, and the boy's parents have been charged in his death.
- Stacey Wescott / Chicago TribuneMary Becker straightens a large teddy bear on the front steps of AJ Freund's home on the day of a community celebration in honor of what would have been his sixth birthday, on Oct. 13, 2019.
- Stacey Wescott/Chicago TribuneA memorial for AJ Freund grows outside of his family's home on April 25, 2019, in Crystal Lake.
- Stacey Wescott / Chicago TribuneJoAnn Cunningham leaves the courtroom after a status hearing with Judge Robert Wilbrandt at the McHenry County Courthouse on Feb. 27, 2020 in Woodstock. In December she pleaded guilty to killing her 5-year-old son, AJ Freund.
- Stacey Wescott/Chicago TribuneA police K-9 searches in front of the home of 5-year-old Andrew "AJ" Freund on April 18, 2019, in Crystal Lake. Law enforcement personnel from throughout the area were searching for the missing boy.
- Chris Sweda / Chicago TribuneAndrew Freund, AJ's father, attends a vigil for his son at Crystal Lake Beach on April 20, 2019.
- John Starks/Daily HeraldJoAnn Cunningham listens to her attorney, Angelo Mourelatos, during her sentencing hearing in Woodstock on July 16, 2020. She pled guilty in December to killing her five-year-old son in her Crystal Lake home.
- Stacey Wescott / Chicago TribuneColorful toy cars, superhero figures, toys, flowers and flags adorn the gravestone of 5-year-old Andrew "AJ" Freund at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum on Dec. 5, 2019 in Palatine.
- Stacey Wescott/Chicago TribuneTwo balloons are tied to the gate leading to the field where the body of AJ Freund was found on April 25, 2019, in an unincorporated area near Woodstock.
- Chris Sweda / Chicago TribuneAndrew Freund and JoAnn Cunningham, parents of missing 5-year-old boy AJ Freund, embrace during a vigil at Crystal Lake Beach on April 20, 2019. They were later charged with fatally beating the boy.
- Stacey Wescott / Chicago TribuneSigns warning against trespassing and a lock and chain mark the gate leading to the rural land where the body of AJ Freund was found in April 2019. The area is shown Aug. 6, 2019.
- Robert McCoppin/Chicago TribuneLaw enforcement personnel remove evidence from the Freund home on Dole Avenue in Crystal Lake as the investigation into the case of missing 5-year-old Andrew "AJ" Freund continues April 24, 2019.
- John J. Kim / Chicago TribuneMourners gather outside the home of AJ Freund for a vigil April 24, 2019, in Crystal Lake.
- John Starks/Daily HeraldFamily of AJ Freund react as a 35 year sentence is read by Judge Robert Wilbrandt at the sentencing hearing for JoAnn Cunningham.
- Stacey Wescott / Chicago TribuneAbout four months after his death in April 2019, a headstone for AJ Freund, 5, was placed at his gravesite at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum in Palatine.
- Abel Uribe / Chicago TribuneMary Becker, center, and other members of a group of protesters called ROAR for AJ, stand July 16, 2020, outside the McHenry County Courthouse, where they were demanding the maximum sentence for JoAnn Cunningham.
- McHenry County Sheriff's Department via APJoAnn Cunningham and Andrew Freund have been charged with murder in the death of their 5-year-old son, Andrew "AJ" Freund. A criminal complaint filed April 25, 2019, outlines first-degree murder, aggravated battery and several other charges against the couple. A judge set bail at $5 million for each parent.
- Abel Uribe / Chicago TribunePolice officers escort Andrew Freund out of his house and into an unmarked vehicle going to the Crystal Lake police station on April 20, 2019.
- Abel Uribe / Chicago TribunePolice officers escort Andrew Freund, right, out of his house and into an unmarked vehicle going to the Crystal Lake police station on April 20, 2019. Freund was later charged in the death of his 5-year-old son, AJ.
- Joe Shuman/for the Chicago TribuneA large crowd attends a news conference April 24, 2019, at Crystal Lake City Hall during which authorities announced charges in the death of AJ Freund.
- John J. Kim / Chicago TribuneA woman sits near a memorial of flowers, stuffed animals and candles at the home of AJ Freund on April 24, 2019, in Crystal Lake.
- Chris Sweda / Chicago TribunePeople participate in a vigil for AJ Freund at Crystal Lake Beach on April 20, 2019.
- John J. Kim / Chicago TribuneMourners stand in line to attend the visitation for AJ Freund at the Davenport Family Funeral Home and Crematory on May 3, 2019, in Crystal Lake.
- Stacey Wescott / Chicago TribuneToy cars, superhero figures, flowers and flags adorn the gravestone of 5-year-old Andrew "AJ" Freund at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum on Dec. 5, 2019 in Palatine, the day his mother, JoAnn Cunningham, plead guilty to his murder.
- Stacey Wescott / Chicago TribuneAndrew Freund appears for a status hearing at the Sullivan Judicial Center, Jan. 14, 2020 in Woodstock.
- Chris Sweda / Chicago TribuneBen Scholpp, 11, sister Bella Scholpp, 10, and Cheyenne Borg, 11, pitch in during the search for AJ Freund in Crystal Lake on April 20, 2019.
- Stacey Wescott/Chicago TribuneInvestigators from the Crystal Lake Police Department, the McHenry County sheriff's office and the FBI search for the body of AJ Freund in an unincorporated area near Woodstock on April 24, 2019.
- Stacey Wescott/Chicago TribuneLaw enforcement personnel from throughout the area gather April 18, 2019, outside the home in Crystal Lake where 5-year-old AJ Freund went missing.
- Chris Sweda / Chicago TribuneA couple prays during a vigil for AJ Freund at Crystal Lake Beach on April 20, 2019.
- Chris Sweda / Chicago TribuneKatie Parsons, center, and others pray for AJ Freund at a strip mall in suburban Crystal Lake on April 20, 2019.
- Joe Shuman/for the Chicago TribuneJessica Beese, of McHenry, wipes a tear from her eye after learning the news about AJ Freund's death during a news conference April 24, 2019, in Crystal Lake.
- Stacey Wescott / Chicago TribuneBrenda Hale, of Wonder Lake, wipes tears as she stops by the grave of AJ Freund at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum in Palatine on July 16, 2019. Hale said that AJ "reminds me of my grandson" and that she "cried for months" following his death.
- Stacey Wescott/Chicago TribuneA growing memorial full of Easter items on the lawn at the home of Andrew Freund and JoAnn Cunningham, parents of AJ Freund, on April 22, 2019, in Crystal Lake.
- John J. Kim / Chicago TribuneMourners gather outside the home of AJ Freund for a vigil April 24, 2019, in Crystal Lake.
- John J. Kim / Chicago TribunePeople view a memorial in front of the boarded-up home of AJ Freund in Crystal Lake on May 3, 2019.
- John J. Kim / Chicago TribuneMourners gather outside the home of AJ Freund for a vigil April 24, 2019, in Crystal Lake.
- Stacey Wescott / Chicago TribuneThe younger brother of AJ Freund is placed into Department of Children and Family Services custody at the Crystal Lake police station on April 19, 2019.
- Stacey Wescott/Chicago TribuneDouglas Nieves, with his son Vinnie, 1, and daughter Cecilia, 5, at the memorial for AJ Freund in Crystal Lake on April 25, 2019. "We have seven kids, and I lost one last year," Nieves said. "Yesterday I was crying like he was my own kid."
- John J. Kim / Chicago TribuneMourners gather outside the home of AJ Freund for a vigil April 24, 2019, in Crystal Lake.
- John J. Kim / Chicago TribuneNicole Kvasnicka and Tom McIntyre carry flowers, candles and a stuffed bear to place at a small memorial at the home of AJ Freund in Crystal Lake on April 19, 2019.
- John Starks/Daily HeraldJoAnn Cunningham, 37, reacts as a sentence of 35 years is announced, July 17, 2020, for the murder of son, AJ Freund.
- Robert McCoppin/Chicago TribuneLaw enforcement personnel remove evidence from the Freund home on Dole Avenue in Crystal Lake as the investigation into the whereabouts of AJ Freund continues April 24, 2019.
- John Starks/Daily HeraldMcHenry County State's Attorney Patrick Kenneally points to photographs on a screen as Crystal Lake police Officer Brian Burr testifies in the JoAnn Cunningham sentencing hearing in Woodstock, July 16, 2020.
- Stacey Wescott/Chicago TribuneA police officer carries paper bags out of the home of AJ's parents, JoAnn Cunningham and Andrew Freund.
- Stacey Wescott / Chicago TribuneJoAnn Cunningham, mother of AJ Freund, stands with her attorney, George Killis, outside her home in Crystal Lake on April 19, 2019, as he speaks on her behalf and pleads with the public to help her find AJ. Cunningham was later charged in AJ's killing.
- Joe Shuman/for the Chicago TribuneKimberly Barrette, 17, of Woodstock, leaves a candle at a memorial for AJ Freund outside his family's home on April 24, 2019, in Crystal Lake.
- Chris Sweda / Chicago TribunePeople participate in a vigil for AJ Freund at Crystal Lake Beach on April 20, 2019.
- John J. Kim/Chicago TribuneMcHenry County coroner investigators load the body of AJ Freund into a minivan in an unincorporated area near Woodstock on April 24, 2019. The boy's parents have been charged in his death.
- Stacey Wescott/Chicago TribuneOfficials search near Woodstock for AJ Freund on April 24, 2019.
- John J. Kim/Chicago TribuneA McHenry County coroner investigator walks to her vehicle from a wooded area in an unincorporated area near Woodstock on April 24, 2019. The body of AJ Freund was found at the location.
- Chris Sweda / Chicago TribuneLisa Hedberg was among people searching April 20, 2019, in a wooded area near Crystal Lake for any signs of AJ Freund, who had been reported missing by his father days earlier.
- Stacey Wescott / Chicago TribuneAndrew Freund appears for a status hearing on Sept. 16, 2020, at the McHenry County Courthouse in Woodstock.
- John J. Kim / Chicago TribuneMourners gather outside the home of AJ Freund for a vigil April 24, 2019, in Crystal Lake.
- Chris Sweda / Chicago TribunePeople attend a vigil for AJ Freund at Crystal Lake Beach on April 20, 2019.
- Stacey Wescott/Chicago TribuneInvestigators from the Crystal Lake Police Department, the McHenry County sheriff's office and the FBI search for the body of AJ Freund in an unincorporated area near Woodstock on April 24, 2019. He had been reported missing days earlier.
- Stacey Wescott/Chicago TribuneA police officer speaks with the driver of a passing car about the disappearance of 5-year-old AJ Freund.
- Stacey Wescott/Chicago TribuneSearch team members are loaded into an ATV and transported north to look for AJ Freund in Veterans Acres Park on April 23, 2019, in Crystal Lake.
- John J. Kim / Chicago TribuneA woman and child hug near a memorial outside the home of AJ Freund on April 24, 2019, in Crystal Lake.
- Stacey Wescott/Chicago TribuneA memorial for AJ Freund grows outside his family's home April 25, 2019, in Crystal Lake.
- Stacey Wescott/Chicago TribuneBob Alvarez, a search-and-rescue team member looks for AJ Freund in Veterans Acres Park on April 23, 2019, in Crystal Lake. Dozens of searchers from as far away as Boone County searched wooded areas, ballfields and a pond for the 5-year-old boy.
- Stacey Wescott / Chicago TribuneA handwritten note to AJ Freund is attached to blue ribbons on a tree outside the boy's boarded-up home in Crystal Lake on May 8, 2019.
- John J. Kim / Chicago TribunePolice investigators carry evidence-gathering supplies out of the home of AJ Freund in Crystal Lake on April 19, 2019.
- Chris Sweda / Chicago TribunePeople attend a vigil for AJ Freund at Crystal Lake Beach on April 20, 2019.
- Stacey Wescott/Chicago TribuneMarine units search Crystal Lake Beach on April 18, 2019, for AJ Freund, who went missing from his home in Crystal Lake. The boy's body was later found in a shallow grave near his home.
- Chris Sweda / Chicago TribuneJoAnn Cunningham, AJ's mother, reacts during a vigil for the boy at Crystal Lake Beach on April 20, 2019.
- Stacey Wescott / Chicago TribuneA solemn group holds signs outside the home of Andrew "AJ" Freund on Oct. 13, 2019, in honor of what would have been his sixth birthday.
- Terrence Antonio James / Chicago TribuneAJ Freund's house in Crystal Lake on April 23, 2019.
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JoAnn Cunningham, 37, cries during her sentencing hearing in Woodstock, July 16, 2020.
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By Robert McCoppin | rmccoppin@chicagotribune.com | Chicago Tribune
PUBLISHED: | UPDATED:
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The father of 5-year-old AJ Freund may plead guilty Friday in connection with his son’s death.
An attorney for Andrew Freund, 61, said a plea deal could come Friday in the death of AJ, who was beaten to death last year and buried in a remote area in Woodstock.
At a brief status hearing Wednesday in McHenry County court, Freund stood wearing orange jail clothes and a white mask because of coronavirus precautions, according to a pool report from the Northwest Herald.
His attorney Henry “Hank” Sugden said he had a few more details to iron out on the deal with prosecutors.
Judge Robert Wilbrandt asked prosecutors if that was true, and Assistant State’s Attorney Randi Freese confirmed that negotiations were underway.
Wilbrandt set a hearing for a negotiated plea at 1:30 p.m. Friday, according to the pool report.
Freund is charged with multiple counts of murder, aggravated battery to a child, aggravated domestic battery, concealment of a homicide, failure to report a child’s death, obstruction of justice/destroying evidence and unlawful restraint.
AJ was reported missing in April 2019. His body was found six days later in a shallow grave in a remote area 7 miles from his home in Crystal Lake.
His parents had a long history with DCFS and had temporarily lost custody of AJ after he was born with heroin in his system.
AJ’s mother, JoAnn Cunningham, 37, who pleaded guilty to murdering her son, is serving a 35-year prison term.
