Eric Gilford (mugshot)
An international manhunt to find an active-duty navy sailor who police say brutally murdered his pregnant wife is over and the suspect will be extradited back to Illinois this week. An arrest warrant was issued for Eric A. Gilford, 31, for stabbing his wife and his unborn child to death. Gilford was arrested on August 6th in Jackson Hole, Wyoming where he was living at a homeless shelter. A court order late last week passed down indicates he signed a waiver of extradition and will return to face charges.
Investigator Todd Kubish from the Villa Park Police said on Wednesday, May 26, 2010, Gilford tracked down his wife Kristine at another man’s home in Villa Park, Illinois. She was at the apartment with her 4-year-old daughter, Gracie May, but the man who owned the property was not there. An argument ensued, and Kubish says Gilford allegedly stabbed his wife repeatedly and fled the scene. Gracie May ran upstairs to get help for her mother, but by the time police arrived, Gilford was gone.
Kubish told me Kristine was 5-months pregnant and alive when help arrived on the scene, but later died in surgery while at the hospital. Thankfully, the little girl was not harmed, though she had to watch her mother die on her 4th birthday. Apparently Gilford and Kristine were married earlier in the year, and there have been domestic issues in the past when police had to respond to their home.
Less than 24 hours after the murder, investigators in Fargo, North Dakota found the 2008 Dodge Charger investigators believe Gilford fled in. It was parked at an architectural firm parking lot.
If you have any information, of if you’ve seen Eric Gilford, please call: (630) 834-7447
Tags: allegedly, arrest, Eric Gilford, extradited, Gracie May, homeless, husband, illinois, Jackson Hole, kills wife, Kristine Gilford, married, murder, Wyoming
