Izzy's Bar Murder Defendant May Lose Auto To Prosecutor

JOLIET, IL - During the early morning hours of Friday, March 9, a beloved Joliet resident, 52-year-old Danny Rios, was fatally shot inside Izzy's Bar. The Joliet Police Department issued a statement later that day announcing Patrick Gleason of Crest Hill was in custody and had committed the homicide. Gleason lived less than a block away from Izzy's. Joliet Patch has previously reported Gleason was not welcome inside Izzy's.

Now, recently filed court papers at the Will County Courthouse include new details that present a compelling case that Gleason is the killer. Intimate details regarding the homicide are laid out in court documents that are part of a forfeiture case against Gleason. The Will County State's Attorney's Office contends that Gleason's 2008 Ford Fusion should now become property of the state of Illinois; his vehicle was used during the commission of the cold-blooded killing more than two months ago, court documents inform the judge.

Here are the pertinent facts surrounding the killing inside Izzy's:

When police cars arrived at 507 Theodore St., they found Tom Izquierdo, the bar owner's son, sitting on the sidewalk next to the bar. He was bleeding profusely, court documents state.

Joliet officers entered Izzy's and saw Rios, who "appeared to have a gunshot wound to the right side of his neck and was lying in a pool of blood underneath his head. Rios' eyes were open, but he was not breathing," court documents state.

Also inside Izzy's, Joliet's officers working the overnight shift saw Gleason.

He "was lying on the floor with a bloodied face," court records show. "By witness accounts Gleason was identified as the shooter."

Joliet Police investigators subsequently found the bar's video surveillance system. "The detectives observed in the video footage the subject now known as Patrick Gleason enter the bar wearing a mask and holding a handgun," court documents divulge. "Gleason appeared to wait near the east door until he was approached by Daniel Rios. Gleason then shot Rios in the neck and Rios dropped to the floor."

After killing Rios, Gleason walked into the main area of Izzy's where he saw customer Artis Henderson, court papers reflect.

"It appeared Gleason was trying to shoot him ... Artis was seen overtaking Gleason and bringing him down to the floor," court papers show. "The surveillance video also showed that while Artis and another patron, identified as Michael Cullick, attempted to disarm Gleason, the firearm went off."

When the gun fired, Izquiredo "was shot on the right side of his body," court documents indicate. Izquierdo was rushed to St. Joe's Hospital. The bullet struck his abdomen. He was quickly moved to Loyola's Medical Center in Maywood. He has since been discharged and has hired one of Joliet's top civil attorneys, Frank Cservenyak, to file a lawsuit against the accused killer.

RELATED: 'Hero' Sues Izzy's Murder Defendant Patrick Gleason

Court records reveal that a 2008 Ford Fusion was found in Izzy's Bar parking lot. Gleason owned it. Joliet Police had it towed to their evidence garage.

The State's Attorney's Office petition asks to have Gleason's vehicle "ordered sold at public auction, destroyed or delivered to a law enforcement agency of the State of Illinois."

"Patrick Gleason, with the knowledge and or the consent of the owner of said captioned vehicle, did use same in connection with the offense of murder ... and reckless discharge of a firearm," Assistant State's Attorney Thomas Bahar stated.

Meanwhile, one of the Will County judges, Jeff Allen, has allowed Gleason's recently appointed temporary public guardian, attorney Colleen Wengler of Wengler Law Firm, to further dip into Gleason's estate to pay Joliet criminal defense attorney Chuck Bretz another $2,000 to contest the efforts to seize the murder defendant's 2008 Ford Fusion.

Last month, Joliet Patch was the first news outlet to report that Bretz signed a contract paying him a flat $40,000 fee for handling Gleason's murder case defense.

Now, thanks to the vehicle forfeiture filing, Bretz stands to make at least $42,000, court documents state.

"The ward has expressed his desire that attorney Chuck Bretz represent him in that case," Wengler notified the court, explaining Bretz is willing to take on the added legal work for $2,000 plus any costs.

Judge Allen has approved the $2,000 payment to Bretz. Court records show there will be a pleading status on the vehicle forfeiture issue set for July 11 at the Will County Courthouse.

Meanwhile, the GoFundMe account established in March to assist Danny Rios' son has more than doubled its initial goal of $11,500. Because Rios did not have insurance, his family had to incur his funeral expenses. If you are inclined to want to help the Rios family, here is the link for the Danny Rios Memorial.

RELATED: GoFundMe For Danny Rios Drawing Strong Response

Main image of Danny Rios via GoFundMe