Cunningham Gets 35 Years In AJ's Death

MCHENRY COUNTY, IL — Joann Cunningham has been sentenced to 35 years in prison. The 37-year-old mother did not show any emotion when McHenry County Judge Robert Wilbrandt handed down the punishment for the death of her son Friday afternoon.

Family members of 5-year-old AJ Freund sat in the front row at the hearing and hung their heads as the sentence was read. Some became emotional and started to cry.

Heading into the hearing, Cunningham faced between 20 and 60 years in prison after entering a blind guilty plea in December to a first-degree murder charge in connection with AJ's brutal beating death. Cunningham must serve all of her sentence and is not eligible for parole, which means she will not be released from prison until she is 72 years old.

According to her attorneys, Cunningham has been segregated from other prisoners for her own safety during her time at the McHenry County Jail, where she has been behind bars since April 2019. She will remain at the jail until she is transferred to a prison.

Cunningham must also register as a violent offender against youth. Wilbrandt spoke about mitigating factors in the case, adding that Cunningham had a difficult life and made some poor choices. After dropping out of high school, she worked hard to get her GED and then attended cosmetology school, Wilbrandt said, speaking for about 15 minutes before handing down the sentence.

"(F)or a time, her life did seem to be looking up," he said. "And then came the drugs."

This led to her lying, cheating and manipulating her way through life, the judge said.

According to prosecutors, Cunningham and her husband Andrew Freund placed AJ in a cold shower for 20 minutes as punishment over lying about soiled underwear. According to Wilbrandt, the evidence presented at trial showed Cunningham repeatedly struck AJ on the head with a medal shower head, took him out of the shower while he was still alive, and then locked him in his room.

"And then he died," Wilbrandt said. "It was a horrible death proceeded by a horrible life."

• 'I'd Give My Life To Get AJ Back': Cunningham

Cunningham's attorney, Richard Behoff, an assistant public defender with McHenry County, said he respected the judge's decision and that it was fair.

Her attorneys pointed to the fact that Cunningham, while under the influence of drugs, was not "acting like herself." Videos taken on her phone of interactions between her and AJ showed that, assistant public defender Angelo Mourelatos said following the hearing.

"AJ is dead. It's a tragic case," he said.

Cunningham's attorneys said she is remorseful for her actions but would not comment on her overall state or her reaction to Thursday's sentence.

Prosecutors said AJ was killed during the overnight hours of April 14, 2019, and first reported missing by his father three days later. Andrew Freund is also charged with murder in the case and is being held at the McHenry County Jail on a $5 million bail as he awaits further court hearings.

After a full day of testimony on Thursday from doctors, police officers and psychologists, Cunningham delivered a tearful address to the court, talking about her love for her children and how much she misses them. As she fought back tears, she shared memories of 5-year-old AJ. Cunningham did not admit to killing her son, but spoke of her weaknesses and failures in life.

"My heart and mind are consumed with sadness and grief and great remorse," she said. "There is a great sorrow in my heart. I will never be able to justify anything and nor will I ever want to."

FULL COVERAGE FROM THURSDAY'S HEARING: 'I'd Give My Life To Get AJ Back': Cunningham

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