CHICAGO (AP) — A northern Illinois woman who spent years beating her son until he died alone in his dark bedroom has pleaded with a judge for mercy.

JoAnn Cunningham faces between 20 and 60 years in prison when she returns to court on Friday to be sentenced in the killing of Andrew “AJ” Freund.

The prosecutor on Thursday asked the judge to impose the maximum sentence on Cunningham, who pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in AJ’s April 2019 death.

The boy’s father, Andrew Freund Sr., has also been charged with murder and is awaiting trial.