A mother and son who worked together on a plot to rob and kill a Naperville man in 2018 have been sentenced to decades in prison with no chance of early parole.
Ernest Collins, 28, formerly of Rockford, and his mother Candice Jones, 44, formerly of Chicago, were found guilty in separate 2023 jury trials of the first-degree murder and armed robbery of Michael Armendariz.
This week, DuPage County Judge Michael Reidy sentenced Collins to 70 years in state prison on the murder charge and 28 years for armed robbery, a news release from the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office said. His mother was given a 40-year prison term for murder and 21 years for armed robbery.
An accomplice in the case, Collins’ then-girlfriend Cassandra Green, 27, formerly of Rockford, agreed to plead guilty in 2022 to one count of armed robbery with a firearm in exchange for cooperating with the prosecution, the release said. She is serving a 21-year prison term.
Green, Collins and Jones came up with the plan to rob Armendariz, with Green persuading her childhood friend to meet her by sending him a Snapchat message on Jan. 14, 2018, prosecutors said. Green picked up Armendariz in a 1999 Ford Exploer at his Naperville apartment, the report said.
Collins was hiding in the back of the SUV and emerged about five minutes into the drive to shoot Armendariz twice in the back of the head, the report said. The pair then drove to Jones’ home on Chicago’s southwest side, where Jones helped them put Armendariz’s body in a garbage can and move it into her garage, officials said.
Later, they moved the garbage can to the garage of a vacant house next to Jones’ home. Collins and Green then used Armendariz’s key to get into and burglarize his apartment, the report said.
Prosecutors have previously said the crime was plotted by Collins and Jones at the instigation of Jones, who reportedly told her son, “You’re going to do this.” The murder weapon and other evidence were recovered from Jones’ home, according to reports.
Jones also threatened Green, telling her she would kill her and her mother if Green told anyone about the killing, reports said.
Green told investigators in a 2019 confession that they tried unsuccessfully to rob Armendariz on at least four earlier occasions after seeing him in social media photos with drugs and cash.
Armendariz was reported missing on Jan. 18, 2018, but his body not discovered until several months later. A joint investigation by the Chicago and Naperville police departments led to the arrests of Collins, Jones and Green in February 2019, the report said.
Collins and Jones have been held at the DuPage County Jail since their arrests. They will serve their terms concurrently and are not eligible for parole until they’ve completed their full sentences, the release said.
“Working together, Ernest Collins, Candice Jones and Cassandra Green devised an evil, heartless plot to rob and kill Michael Armendariz,” State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement.
“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. 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.”
