A Will County jury found a Crest Hill man guilty of the 2018 first-degree murder of a Joliet bartender, the attempted murder of a bar patron and wounding the son of the bar owner in a shooting.

On Wednesday afternoon, the jury reached a verdict finding Patrick Gleason, 63, guilty of the killing of Daniel “Danny” Rios III, 52, a bartender who died in a shooting on March 9, 2018, at Izzy’s bar in Joliet.

The jury also found Gleason guilty of the attempted murder of Artis Henderson, a bar patron who, along with his friend, Michael Cullick, helped to subdue the physically large masked shooter they identified as Gleason after he gunned down Rios.

Gleason was further found guilty of the aggravated battery of Thomas Izquierdo, son of Alfonso “Izzy” Izquierdo, the owner of the bar. Thomas Izquierdo testified that he was shot after he tried to get the gun out of the shooter’s hands.

“It’s been a long wait for us to have our justice,” Laura Alvarado, Rios’ younger sister, said after Wednesday’s verdict.

Alvarado said she was grateful for the Will County assistant state’s attorneys on the case, which included Adam Capelli, James Zanayed and Jim Long.

Gleason’s sentencing date is set for Nov. 18.

Gleason’s attorney, Jeff Tomczak, decided not to deliver a closing argument on Wednesday based on rulings from Will County Judge Vincent Cornelius regarding evidence issues and jury instructions.

Cornelius had denied Tomczak’s motion for a mistrial based on what Tomczak contended were foundation issues with prosecutors’ presentation of video evidence in the case.

Cornelius also denied Tomczak’s request to have the jury consider whether Gleason acted in self-defense in the incident.

After the jury delivered its verdict, Tomczak said he wanted to get the case to appellate lawyers as quickly as possible. Tomczak said he plans to file a motion requesting a new trial.

During the trial, jurors learned Gleason had attended an REO Speedwagon concert with a friend at the Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet about 8 p.m. on March 8, 2018. The two went to Izzy’s bar about 10:45 p.m. the same evening.

Shortly after 12:20 a.m. March 9, 2018, Gleason left the bar following a dispute with a patron over his smoking cigarettes several times, which was against bar policy, according to prosecutors.

A bar patron testified he heard Gleason say he would “shoot the place up” several times before leaving. Gleason went back home angry, and he returned to Izzy’s bar about 47 minutes later, prosecutors said.

Zanayed told jurors in closing arguments on Wednesday that Gleason made a “conscious decision” to come back wearing a mask, gloves and carrying a gun.

Zanayed said Gleason was seen on video double-checking the magazine of his gun to ensure it was “ready to kill.”

Jurors were once again shown video of Gleason at the bar as described by Zanayed.

Zanayed said Gleason shot Rios, walked over his body and continued his “mayhem” at Izzy’s bar by chasing after Henderson, who is seen on video “scurrying around the table [at the bar] trying to fight for his life.”

Zanayed pointed out to the jury the moment a muzzle flash is seen on video when Thomas Izquierdo suffers a gunshot wound. Thomas Izquierdo said he was trying to get the gun away from Gleason.

“[Gleason] saw another person his barrel was pointed at and he pulled the trigger,” Zanayed said.

The roughly week-long trial was punctuated at times by sadness from the witnesses and cries from the courtroom gallery, especially when prosecutors showed jurors the video of Rios’ shooting.

When Alfonso Izquierdo testified about his bar’s security camera system, his voice cracked and he sighed when he saw images of Rios on the screen.

“I just need a little time, please,” he told prosecutors.

Gleason’s case spent well over seven years in pretrial purgatory. That length of time posed a challenge for witnesses questioned about conversations or certain details from 2018.

During Cullick’s testimony, Gleason’s attorney, Colin “CJ” Haney, asked Cullick whether he ever heard someone at the bar before the shooting say they were “packing,” or in possession of a gun. Cullick said he did not.

Haney asked Cullick whether his memory would be fresher at the time.

“Well, yeah, it was seven years ago,” Cullick said.

Gleason’s case was repeatedly delayed by recurring issues, such as his conflicts with his past attorneys and whether he was mentally fit for trial.

Gleason was set to go to trial in 2021 until his previous attorneys once again raised doubts as to his mental fitness. At the time, Gleason testified that he was framed by the police and “phony witnesses,” and he further claimed the videos were “all doctored up.”

Gleason went so far as to put those claims in two lawsuits that were dismissed in a matter of months.

On Tuesday, Gleason decided not to testify at trial.