Man accused of wife’s 1988 Joliet murder out of jail as he awaits trial

JOLIET, Ill. - The 82-year-old man accused of murdering his wife 37 years ago in Will County was released from jail last week as he awaits trial.

What we know:

A judge allowed Gilbert Bernal Sr. to leave jail but only under 24-hour electronic monitoring and home confinement in Illinois. 

He’ll only be allowed to leave confinement for medical, legal, or religious purposes, according to the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Pictured is Gilbert Bernal Sr., 82. (Will County Sheriff's Office )

The defendant was also ordered to have no contact with any witnesses in the case or his wife’s family.

The backstory:

Bernal was arrested in December in Michigan and charged in connection with the 1988 murder of Joan Bernal.

Joan was last seen alive in December of 1988. Police said she and her husband were involved in a domestic violence incident at their Joliet home before a planned trip to Texas.

Both Bernal and his wife had children from previous marriages and shared one child together. A fight arose over whether all the children would travel to Texas for Christmas after Joan’s ex-husband refused to allow their shared children to go.

A witness told police that Bernal physically assaulted his wife inside the home and dragged her to the rear of the residence. That was the last time Joan was seen alive, authorities said.

Gilbert reported his wife missing on Dec. 27, 1988, telling authorities he had left her at a bus stop in McAlester, Oklahoma. Her body was never found despite an extensive investigation, and the case went cold.

That was until last December when Bernal was arrested and indicted on first-degree murder exactly 37 years after his wife's disappearance.

What's next:

Bernal is next expected to appear in court on Feb. 20, according to court documents.