The jury took approximately 90 minutes to reach a verdict in the case of Candice Jones.
Candice Jones, a 43-year-old Chicago resident, has been found guilty of her involvement in a gruesome execution-style murder that occurred in 2018 in Naperville
The tragic incident unfolded on January 18, 2018, when Naperville police responded to a report of a missing man, identified as 20-year-old Michael Armendariz. He had last been seen on January 14 around 9:30 p.m.
According to prosecutors, Armendariz received a Snapchat message from one of Candice Jones’ co-defendants, 26-year-old Cassandra Green from Rockford, at approximately 9:11 p.m. on January 14. Allegedly, in response to this message, Armendariz left his apartment and entered a vehicle driven by Green. It is claimed that, just five minutes later, 27-year-old Ernest Collins emerged from hiding in the back of the vehicle and brutally shot Armendariz twice in the back of the head.
Collins and Green then transported Armendariz’s lifeless body to Chicago, where they concealed it in a garbage can, later placing the bin in Collins’ mother’s garage, who is none other than Candice Jones. Subsequently, the garbage can was relocated to the garage of an abandoned home near Candice Jones’ residence.
Prosecutors asserted that Collins and Green took Armendariz’s apartment keys and burglarized his home the day following the murder
Several months later, the lifeless body of Armendariz was discovered in the vacant garage. A month after the murder, all three suspects were apprehended. DuPage County State‘s Attorney Robert Berlin expressed, “This evening, a jury found Candice Jones, the last of three defendants charged in the murder of Michael Armendariz, guilty of first-degree murder.”
While the verdict may provide legal closure, it cannot mend the profound grief experienced by Michael Armendariz’s family and friends. Jones is scheduled to appear in court on December 18, potentially facing a sentence of up to 75 years. Collins is set to return to court on November 29, with a potential life sentence, and Green is expected in court on November 13.
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