Prayer cards for AJ Freund, a 5-year-old boy, sit on a table next to the visitor guestbook at Davenport Funeral Home on Friday, May 3, 2019 in Crystal Lake, Ill. Hundreds of people have converged on the northern Illinois funeral home to pay respects to Fruned whose parents have been accused of his murder. The opportunity to file past the body of AJ Freunds' closed casket was a chance for a town to come together and grieve the loss of a boy made known by his tragic death. The boy's parents, JoAnn Cunningham and Andrew "AJ" Freund Sr., are due in court next week for a preliminary hearing.(Matthew Apgar/Northwest Herald via AP)

Illinois parents plead not guilty in son’s beating death

WOODSTOCK, Ill. – An Illinois mother and father have pleaded not guilty to murder charges in the beating death of their 5-year-old son.

JoAnn Cunningham and Andrew Freund Sr. of Crystal Lake appeared in McHenry County court Friday, the day after a 30-page grand jury indictment was handed down in the case.

Police found Andrew “AJ” Freund’s body last month in a shallow grave, nine days after authorities say he was beaten to death and a week after his parents reported him missing .

McHenry County Judge Robert Wilbrandt granted a defence request for a psychological exam of Freund. The judge also said a gag order request from both parents’ attorneys was too broad.

Court records show the parents forced AJ to take a cold shower as punishment for lying about soiling his underwear.

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Abbey Westbury

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