Lockport Man Complained About Alimony, Losing Job Before Wife's Murder: Prosecutors

LOCKPORT, IL — A Lockport man facing three counts of first-degree murder remains in custody at Will County Jail after a court appearance on Tuesday.

Eric Strasser, 62, wasarrested April 17, almost one year after his wife, Rosy Strasser, 51 died of a gunshot wound. Rosy Strasser was pronounced dead on May 1, 2024, in the couple's home in the 900 block of McKinley Court in Lockport.

At the time of her death, Lockport police told Patch they were investigating the circumstances of her death, and that her manner of death had not yet been determined.

"This was a fairly complex homicide investigation," Lockport Police Deputy Chief Ron Huff told Patch this week. "Investigators had to wait on various crime lab results and were required to track down and interview numerous witnesses. Once all of that was completed, the case was submitted to the State’s Attorney’s Office for review and approval, which ultimately led to the three counts of homicide."

According to the criminal complaint filed in Will County Court, Eric Strasser called 911 at 6 a.m. May 1 and said he needed an ambulance because there was an accidental shooting.

When the operator asked what happened, Eric said, "can you please just get them over here?" and hung up, according to the complaint.

Lockport Police officers arrived at 6:02 a.m. and found Rosy Strasser in the bathroom of the home with a gunshot wound. Paramedics arrived at 6:06 a.m. and noted that the approximate time of death was 3 a.m., according to the complaint.

Eric Strasser told the officers where to find the revolver used in the shooting. According to the complaint, the weapon was on a counter several feet from Rosy, and had been covered with a towel. The gun had been emptied, and the crime lab was not able to recover any fingerprints for comparison, the complaint noted.

An autopsy also revealed that there was no evidence of close-range firing of the gun. Rosy had several abrasions, lacerations and bruises on her body, according to the complaint. A friend said the lacerations and marks on her body had not been there a day earlier, on April 29, prosecutors said.

Eric also had cuts on his face, fingers and arms, and would not tell police any information about Rosy's death, prosecutors outlined in the complaint.

Divorce proceedings for the couple had started in January, the complaint states. According to the complaint, Rosy was doing well at work and had received a promotion, had a boyfriend, and had plans to move out of the home and to a new town.

Meanwhile, the complaint states that Eric complained via text message to a relative about money he had to give to Rosy and that he had been fired on April 26 from his job for falsifying time sheets. As part of the divorce, Rosy Strasser was to receive a lump sum of $65,000, and $247 in monthly maintenance, according to the complaint.

On April 30, Eric Strasser went to a bar in McCook and stayed there for several hours, drinking nine beers with friends and a relative, according to video surveillance recovered by Lockport Police.

The complaint states that Eric's phone location data shows he returned home at 10 p.m. and stayed there until he was removed by the police at 7 a.m. on May 1. Rosy's phone data showed she was home all day and night on April 30.

According to prosecutors, Rosy had texted her boyfriend on April 30 saying that Eric had come home drunk, and she had also asked her boss if she could take some boxes for moving.

After arriving home on April 30, Eric made several calls to co-workers, to Rosy herself (even though she was at home), and finally numerous calls to his divorce attorney, who is also his cousin, in the early morning hours of May 1, starting at 2:32 a.m. and ending at 5:37 a.m., according to the complaint.

Police also found a pair of blue disposable gloves in the kitchen, another on the dining room table, and one glove in an outside garbage can. A friend told police that Rosy would wear this kind of gloves while cooking. The crime lab found gunshot residue, Eric's blood and Rosy's DNA on the kitchen gloves, according to the complaint.

Eric Strasser remains in custody at Will County Jail; the Will County State's Attorney's Office has asked the judge to deny pre-trial release. He will appear in court on May 8 for a detention hearing.