Corey Dale Krueger’s family was worried that the 20-year-old Glendale Heights man charged with shooting him while he was out walking his dog in the early morning hours a few days before Christmas last year was going to be found innocent of the crime.

Prosecutors lacked direct physical evidence linking Isaias Beltran to the shooting. They had an eyewitness who testified that he saw Beltran shoot Krueger, but the witness was an alleged gang member who was on probation at the time.

A DuPage County jury deliberated for about seven hours Monday night and Tuesday morning before finding Beltran guilty of first-degree murder, armed robbery and robbery. He faces 45 years to life in prison when he is sentenced later this year.

“I’m very excited; I’m very happy,” said Krueger’s 18-year-old cousin Sam Vitro after the verdict was announced. “For a little while we were worried that he would be able to get away with this.”

Vitro, who has a tattoo bearing Corey’s name on his left forearm, hugged his father outside the courtroom after the verdict.

“He was a great guy, so justice was served,” said Mel Vitro, who arrived just after the verdict was read.

Krueger’s wife, Kristin, and several other family members were present during the two-day trial, but were not in court when the jury returned its verdict.

Krueger, a 35-year-old father of two, was walking his dog Dec. 19, part of his daily routine before heading to work at a sanitation company in Joliet. He was a few hundred feet from his home on the 1200 block of Pleasant Avenue when he was shot in the head.

Police found Krueger unresponsive on the sidewalk at about 3 a.m. after a neighbor called about a barking dog. He died later that morning at a Downers Grove hospital.

Beltran was arrested that night on an underage drinking charge following a traffic stop. Two days later, he was charged with the murder.

The prosecution’s key witness was George Zuno, who confessed to police that he saw his friend shoot Krueger.

Zuno said they were patrolling the neighborhood Dec. 19 when Beltran ran across the street toward a man who was walking his dog. Beltran raised his arm toward the man’s head and told him to “shut up,” Zuno said. Although he didn’t see a gun, Zuno said Beltran shot the man.

“I heard a gunshot; I know what a gunshot sounds like,” he said. “I saw a spark come from his hand. I saw the dude drop. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out.”

Patrick O’Byrne, Beltran’s attorney, tried to cast doubt the in minds of jurors by calling into question Zuno’s credibility.

Zuno was on probation at the time of Krueger’s murder. To secure his testimony, prosecutors agreed to allow him to serve his sentence in Georgia, where he currently lives with his sister. He was recently arrested there on misdemeanor charges, and prosecutors had to arrange his release from jail to testify at the trial.

“George Zuno is a loathsome person who will say or do anything to get out of jail,” O’Byrne said during his closing argument. He said Zuno was actually the one who pulled the trigger and he was lying to protect himself.

Assistant state’s attorney said there was no evidence to suggest Zuno was the shooter.

During his closing argument, Knight held a picture of Krueger’s lifeless body on the defense table in front of Beltran.

“This is what he did,” Knight said. “This is his handiwork.”

Beltran’s mother and other family members also attended the trial, but were not in the courtroom when he was convicted.