February 11, 2025
Letters to the Editor

Letter: Judge Wilbrandt, State's Attorney Kenneally failed us in JoAnn Cunningham sentence

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McHenry County Judge Robert Wilbrandt listens to testimony during a sentencing hearing for JoAnn Cunningham, 37, in Woodstock Thursday, July 16, 2020. She pled guilty in December to killing her five-year-old son A.J. Freund Jr. in April, 2019 in her Crystal Lake home. His body was found in a shallow grave in Woodstock. (John Starks)

To the Editor,

“Exceptional cruelty and heinous behavior indicative of wanton cruelty.” Those are the words our State’s Attorney Patrick Kenneally decided to omit from the charging papers that allowed Judge Wilbrandt to slap JoAnn Cunningham’s wrist and sentence her to 35 years.

AJ is dead and the graphic testimony and recordings of his murder are somehow not exceptionally cruel and don’t exhibit wanton cruelty? You can’t be serious!

State’s Attorney Kenneally crowed about how “disappointed” he is in the judge’s sentence. He also said his case was” exceptionally strong.” Yet, in a wink and a nod back-hallway deal he struck with the defense and the judge, Kenneally showed weakness.

Kenneally charged first degree murder but he dropped 19 other charges. Nineteen! If his case was so strong, why did he cave on 19 other acts of “exceptional cruelty and heinous behavior?”

Patrick Kenneally sold AJ, AJ’s court advocates, and the people of McHenry County short. He threw in the towel on exceptional cruelty and heinous behavior.

Judge Wilbrandt is not much better. Sentencing guidelines could have put Cunningham behind bars for much longer than 35 years, up to 60. But here again the people of McHenry County were short changed. The judge gave way too much credence to Cunningham’s tragic life history. Her life story doesn’t compare to the life story she created for AJ. Where’s the justice and balance?

This cabal of actors in Woodstock needs to change. We have an opportunity in November to vote for a slate of judges that will push back against Patrick Kenneally and his minions.

Beth Vonau, Jeannie Ridings, and Kim Klein are all running for McHenry County judgeships. When they have the gavel in their hands, these three tough, fair minded women will make the right judgements for the citizens of the county.

We need to vote for new voices and new judgments from the bench. The practice of judges resigning prior to the end of their term and their replacement appointed by the chief judge to give the newly appointed judge some level of legitimacy come election time has got to stop.

Phil Heil

Algonquin