A convicted murderer has been found guilty after prosecutors say he confronted his estranged wife, who had an order of protection against him, and fired shots at a restaurant in Marengo.
The Marengo Police Department responded around 11:07 p.m. on June 2, 2023, to Casa Botanera, 228 South State Street, for a report of a man firing shots into the air from a handgun.
Marengo police officers and the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area and learned the offender was no longer on the scene.
Officers speaking to the victim and witnesses were able to identify the offender as Rudy A. Villarreal Jr., 50, of Elgin.
Marengo Police Department Sgt. Adam Boyce said at the time that Villarreal entered the restaurant and found his estranged wife inside.
The woman was the petitioner in an active order of protection against him.
An argument ensued and Villarreal exited the bar through the rear where the argument continued, Boyce and prosecutors said.
Witnesses reported that Villarreal pulled a firearm from his waistband and fired multiple rounds into the air.
Prosecutors said three shots were fired and Villarreal fled the scene. No one was injured as a result of the gunfire, Boyce said.
Three 9mm shell casings were recovered on the walkway outside of the restaurant.
An arrest warrant was obtained for Villarreal charging him with armed violence, felon in possession of a firearm, violation of an order of protection, unlawful use of a weapon, possession of a firearm in a liquor establishment and reckless discharge of a firearm.
Villarreal was taken into custody by the Elgin Police Department and held on a $300,000 bond.
In December, a judge allowed him to be released pending trial on electronic monitoring.
Court records show Villarreal was convicted of murder at an Elgin bar and sentenced in 1995 to 50 years in prison.
Last week, a two-day bench trial was held before McHenry County Judge Mark Gerhardt, who found Villarreal guilty of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon and reckless discharge of a firearm.
The judge found Villarreal not guilty of violating an order of protection. He revoked the man’s pre-trial release following the verdict.
Villarreal is scheduled to be sentenced on October 11. He faces three to 14 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.