DeKalb man serving time for firing a gun in Marengo gets 3 years in prison in domestic violence case

A man currently serving 12 years in prison for firing a gun at a Marengo restaurant has been sentenced to three years in prison in a plea deal after he was charged with aggravated domestic battery.

Rudy A. Villarreal Jr., 50, of DeKalb entered a guilty plea Friday before Judge Mark Gerhardt to one count of aggravated domestic battery, a Class 2 felony. Villarreal also was convicted in Cook County of first-degree murder in 1993 for a killing in Elgin, for which he served about 25 years in prison.

In exchange for the plea, charges that included another count of aggravated domestic battery, four counts of domestic battery, failing to annually register as a violent offender against youth, theft and interfering with reporting domestic violence were dropped.

Charged in May 2023, the original domestic battery indictment alleged Villarreal choked the victim “impeding her normal breathing by applying pressure to her throat or neck.” The theft charge stemmed from Villarreal allegedly taking the victim’s phone to prevent her from reporting the battery, according to the original indictment.

Villarreal will serve his three-year sentence concurrently, or at the same time, with his 12-year sentence for firing a gun outside a Marengo restaurant in June 2023.

Villarreal was found guilty in December after a bench trial in August of using a firearm as a convicted felon and reckless discharge of a firearm. The shooting took place when he was out of jail on bond while awaiting trial in the domestic battery case.

During that sentencing hearing, Villarreal stood, turned toward his family and tearfully apologized.

“I am not perfect, but that’s the beauty of me,” Villarreal said during his sentencing in December. “I am not a victim; I am an overcomer.”

His attorney, Brian Stevens, said Villarreal’s tough upbringing and past addiction has played a part in the charges.

Stevens asked the judge to reconsider the 12-year sentence to reduce it to three years because Villarreal is in “poor health and imprisonment could endanger his medical condition further” and he is “remorseful of his actions.” The motion was denied Friday, according to court records.

Majestic Synthetic Oil Company Inc. Vice President Jesus Napoles sent a letter to Gerhardt in September expressing support for Villarreal in the domestic violence case and that the company hired him to be a regional sales representative.

“Rudy has actively sought opportunities for personal growth within our company,” Napoles said in the letter.