The Case of AJ Freund

The Misery Machine

This week, Drewby and Yergy head to the Chicago suburb to discuss the case of 5-eayr-old AJ Freund, and adorable little boy who lost his life at the hands of his mother, Joann Cunningham, and his father, Andrew Freund - his mother's former divorce attorney. Both parents were addicted to drugs and lived in squalor, and two of Joann's ex-partners died of drug overdoses. On the evening of April 15th, 2019, AJ tried to hide a pair of underwear after he soiled himself. As punishment, AJ was forced into a cold shower with the water pointed right at his face, and was beaten to death. His autopsy later showed that he died from massive trauma to the skull and brain that was caused by multiple blunt force trauma to the head. His brain was so swollen part of it swelled into the spinal cord, crushing brain tissue.

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Source Material:

https://www.chicagotribune.com/investigations/ct-aj-freund-crystal-lake-parents-part-2-20191029-fqep5pq5gjau7fpkxhgtyigu7e-story.html

https://www.chicagotribune.com/investigations/ct-aj-freund-crystal-lake-parents-part-1-20191029-ptrqinmdjzf4fikayack65tfde-story.html

https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/4/30/18619055/ex-husband-aj-freund-s-mom-destroyed-our-home-was-ruined-by-drugs

https://www.davenportfamily.com/obituary/AndrewAJ-Freund

https://patch.com/illinois/crystallake/wear-blue-aj-funds-pour-boys-funeral

https://patch.com/illinois/crystallake/police-reports-show-glimpse-missing-boys-home-life

https://patch.com/illinois/crystallake/ajs-mother-pleads-guilty-beating-death

https://abc7chicago.com/aj-freund-murder-dcfs-parents-joann-cunningham/13785773/

https://abc7chicago.com/aj-freund-murder-dcfs-parents-joann-cunningham/13767306/

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6972283/Ex-husband-mother-accused-killing-AJ-Freund-tells-prescription-pill-addiction.html

https://abc7chicago.com/aj-freund-crystal-lake-andrew-parents/5278075/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOiSfvJMpHE

https://news.wttw.com/2023/10/13/ex-dcfs-worker-guilty-endangerment-death-5-year-old-aj-freund

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGsmPL--FII&ab_channel=DailyMail