AJ Freund trial: Judge finds 1 of 2 ex-DCFS workers guilty in child endangerment case
WOODSTOCK, Ill. (WLS) -- A judge found found one of two former DCFS employees guilty of ignoring warning signs in the child abuse case of 5-year-old A.J. Freund on Friday.
The prosecution finished up their closing arguments, and the court then heard from the defense before the judge delivered his decision.
During the trial, witnesses testified they believed A.J. would still be alive if the employees, Carlos Acosta and Andrew Polovin, had done their jobs properly.
The judge found former DCFS case worker Acosta guilty, but found ex-supervisor Polovin not guilty. The judge said he could not determine what Polovin knew and when he knew it.
A.J.'s tortured life was cut short more than four years ago, when his mother, JoAnn Cunningham, beat him to death and his father, Andrew Freund, tried to cover it up.
Defense attorneys maintained that the two workers had no way of knowing the boy faced potential danger. They both declined to testify.
Acosta faces between two and five years in prison and fines of up to $25,000.
The video in the player above is from a previous report.
