Mother, son sentenced in murder of missing Naperville man found in Chicago dumpster
DUPAGE COUNTY, Ill. (WLS) -- A mother and her son were sentenced to decades in prison for the murder of a Naperville man in 2018.
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On January 18, 2018, Naperville police officers responded to a call on Whispering Hills Drive regarding a missing Michael Armendariz of Naperville.
Armendariz was last seen at approximately 9:30 p.m. leaving his apartment on January 14.
His body was found months later shot to death in a dumpster in Chicago.
It wasn't until February 2019 that three people were arrested in his murder.
Police said that Candice Jones, her son Ernest Collins and his girlfriend Cassandra Green plotted to rob Armendariz with a gun in 2018.
An investigation revealed that Armendariz and Green were together the night of January 14. He got into an SUV at his apartment complex and she drove off.
About five minutes later, Collins emerged from the backseat and shot Armendariz twice in the back of the head.
The couple then drove the body to the home of Candice Jones in Chicago.
They placed his body in a garbage can and moved it to a vacant home in the area.
The next day, Collins and Greens burglarized the dead man's apartment.
Jones and her son Collins were found guilty by a jury in the first-degree murder and armed robbery in 2023.
On Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024 Judge Michael Reidy sentenced Collins to 70 years on the murder charge and 21 years on the armed robbery charge in the IDOC.
Jones was sentenced to 40 years on the murder charge and 21 years on the armed robbery charge in the IDOC.
Both must serve their full sentence.
The video in the player above is from a previous report.
Cassandra Green entered an agreed plea of guilty to one count of armed robbery with a firearm in exchange for her cooperation.
On November 13, 2023, Green was sentenced to 21 years in the IDOC to be served at 85%.
