A mother and son have been sentenced for their roles in the 2018 murder of Naperville resident Michael Armendariz.
Candice Jones, 44, and her son Ernest Collins, 28, both appeared yesterday in DuPage County court for sentencing after being found guilty of their crimes in 2023.
Jones, was sentenced to 40 years for her charge of first-degree murder, and 28 years for armed robbery. Collins received a 70-year sentence for his charge of first-degree murder, and 28 years for armed robbery with a firearm, according to a news release from the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s office. Their time will be served in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
Scheme to rob Armendariz at gunpoint
The charges stemmed from crimes that took place in early 2018.
On Jan. 18 of that year, Naperville police officers received a call that Armendariz was missing, having last been seen around 9:30 p.m. four days earlier.
An investigation found that Jones, Collins, and a third person, 27-year-old Cassandra Green, had made a plan to rob Armendariz at gunpoint.
On Jan. 14 around 9:11 p.m., Armendariz got a Snapchat message from Green, after which he left his apartment and got in Green’s car, a 1999 Ford Explorer. Five minutes after the two drove off together, Collins, who had been hiding in the back of the car, shot Armendariz twice in the back of the head.
Afterward, they continued to Jones’ Chicago residence, where they enlisted Jones’ help to load Armendariz’s body into a garbage can, which eventually was put in the garage of the vacant home next door. The body wouldn’t be found for several months.
Collins and Green also took Armendariz’s keys after he was dead, and burglarized his apartment.
Arrested in 2019 for murder
The trio would be arrested for their actions in February of 2019. Green pleaded guilty to armed robbery with a firearm in exchange for her cooperation and received a sentence of 21 years.
DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin called their plan “an evil, heartless plot.”
“Once this scheme was put into motion, Michael never stood a chance, as he was ambushed and shot twice in the back of his head in a cold-blooded execution,” Berlin said. “While Mr. Collins and Ms. Jones will more than likely spend the rest of their lives behind bars, Michael is never coming back. Guilty verdicts and long prison sentences cannot fill the emptiness Michael’s family and friends have already endured and will continue to suffer for the rest of their lives. Perhaps knowing that those responsible for Michael’s murder will be held accountable will offer some measure of justice in Michael’s name.”
Photos courtesy: DuPage County State’s Attorney’s office
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