Joann Cunningham

A former Illinois child welfare worker who investigated allegations of abuse involving a 5-year-old boy who was later beaten to death pleaded not guilty Thursday to child endangerment and reckless conduct charges.

One of two former Illinois Department of Children and Family Services employees who oversaw AJ Freund’s case has pleaded not guilty to charges following the 5-year-old Crystal Lake boy’s tragic death.

One of two former Illinois Department of Children and Family Services employees who oversaw AJ Freund’s case and were charged following his death is scheduled for a court hearing Thursday.

Two former Illinois Department of Children and Family Services employees who oversaw AJ Freund’s case have been released on bond after they were arrested Thursday, according to the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office. NBC 5’s Chris Hush reports.

Two former Illinois Department of Children and Family Services employees who oversaw AJ Freund’s case have been released on bond after they were arrested Thursday, according to the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office.

Two former Illinois Department of Children and Family Services employees who oversaw AJ Freund’s case were arrested Thursday, according to the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office.

JoAnn Cunningham, the mother of 5-year-old Andrew ‘AJ’ Freund, the young Crystal Lake boy whose disappearance sparked a massive manhunt before his body was found in a shallow grave in a far northwest Chicago suburb, has been transferred to a downstate prison, records show. Cunningham, who was sentenced last month to 35 years behind bars in her son’s murder, had…

JoAnn Cunningham, the mother of 5-year-old Andrew ‘AJ’ Freund, the young Crystal Lake boy whose disappearance sparked a massive manhunt before his body was found in a shallow grave in a far northwest Chicago suburb, was sentenced to prison Friday. Charlie Wojciechowski reports.

An Illinois judge handed JoAnn Cunningham a 35-year prison sentence in the murder of her son, 5-year-old AJ Freund.

JoAnn Cunningham, the mother of 5-year-old Andrew ‘AJ’ Freund, the young Crystal Lake boy whose disappearance sparked a massive manhunt before his body was found in a shallow grave in a far northwest Chicago suburb, was sentenced to prison.

JoAnn Cunningham, the mother of 5-year-old Andrew ‘AJ’ Freund, the young Crystal Lake boy whose disappearance sparked a massive manhunt before his body was found in a shallow grave in a far northwest Chicago suburb, was sentenced to prison Friday.

JoAnn Cunningham, the mother of 5-year-old Andrew ‘AJ’ Freund, the young Crystal Lake boy whose disappearance sparked a massive manhunt before his body was found in a shallow grave in a far northwest Chicago suburb, is set to learn her fate Friday.

The Illinois mother charged in the beating death of her 5-year-old son Andrew “AJ” Freund appeared in court Thursday morning, and she was nearly unrecognizable from when she appeared in public less than a year ago. NBC 5’s Natalie Martinez reports.

From time to time during her sentencing hearing on Thursday, JoAnn Cunningham had to move her surgical mask to wipe away tears as prosecutors laid out much of the same evidence they would have presented at her trial for the murder of her 5-year-old son AJ Freund. The 37-year-old Crystal Lake woman is facing a maximum of 60 years behind…

After a day of testimony in her sentencing hearing, JoAnn Cunningham stood before a judge and gave an emotional speech in which she said she misses AJ and her other children.

NOTE: Streaming has concluded for the day NBC Chicago will offer a live stream from the courtroom beginning at 1:30 p.m. on Friday. The feed may occasionally turn black, depending on the judge’s orders. It will return as soon as possible. Warning: Content in the live feed is uncensored and may be disturbing to some. Viewer discretion is advised....

A northern Illinois woman who pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the beating death of her 5-year-old son faces a maximum sentence of 60 years in state prison when she returns to court on Thursday.

The Illinois mother charged in the beating death of her 5-year-old son Andrew “AJ” Freund, a Crystal Lake boy who was reported missing before his body was found in a shallow grave in a far northwest suburb, is set to learn her fate this week. Joann Cunningham, 36, changed her plea to guilty earlier this year and faces 20 to 60 years…

An Illinois woman who pleaded guilty to killing her 5-year-old son made statements during a psychological evaluation that could be beneficial to the defense of the boy’s father, prosecutors said. Lawyers convened Thursday for a short status hearing on the criminal case against JoAnn Cunningham, 37, who pleaded guilty last December to first-degree murder in the April 2019 slaying of Andrew...

The parents of AJ Freund appeared in court Thursday. A judge revealed when mother JoAnn Cunningham would be sentenced and father Andrew Freund Sr. waived his trial by jury.