Lockport man charged with wife’s murder was tight-lipped on ‘accidental shooting,’ prosecutors say

A Lockport man charged with the 2024 murder of his wife had reported to 911 she was accidentally shot but then wouldn’t give information regarding her death to police or paramedics, prosecutors said.

New details about an investigation of the fatal shooting of Rosy Strasser, 51, of Lockport, were revealed in a petition filed on April 21 by prosecutors.

Prosecutors are seeking to keep Rosy’s husband, Eric Strasser, 62, of Lockport, in jail as he awaits trial on a charge of first-degree murder.

A hearing to determine whether Eric Strasser should receive pretrial release is set for May 8. Retired Will County Judge Dave Carlson is serving as his attorney.

Strasser is accused of fatally shooting Rosy Strasser on May 1, 2024, just two days after he filed a petition for divorce.

He told a 911 dispatcher that it was an accidental shooting but he would “not give any information regarding Rosy’s death to the police officers nor the paramedics,” prosecutors said.

Detectives learned the couple were in the process of ending their 11-year marriage months before the shooting occurred.

Eric Strasser was “unhappy” about the money he owed to his wife for the divorce and he lost his job with Madden Mental Health Center in Cook County over alleged timesheet fraud, according to prosecutors.

Strasser was a stationary engineer, according to state salary records.

Rosy Strasser received a promotion and a raise at her job, prosecutors said. She also had a new boyfriend and she planned to move to Matteson with the money from the divorce, according to prosecutors.

She was going to receive $65,000, or 35%, of her husband’s pension, and $247 in monthly maintenance, prosecutors said.

At 6 a.m. on May 1, 2024, Eric Strasser called 911 and said, “I need an ambulance. There’s been an accidental shooting,” prosecutors said.

When the 911 operator asked how this happened, Eric Strasser said, “Can you please just get them over here?” before hanging up the phone, prosecutors said.

Officers arrived and found Rosy Strasser in the bathroom with a gunshot wound to the left side of her head, prosecutors said.

Eric Strasser told the officers the revolver used in the shooting was on a bathroom counter several feet away from her body, prosecutors said. The gun was wrapped in a towel, the prosecutors filings said.

No suitable fingerprints for comparison were found on the gun, prosecutors said. Gunshot residue was found on Rosy Strasser’s left hand but none on her husband’s hands, prosecutors said.

Yet there was no evidence of close range firing and gunshot residue was found on kitchen gloves stained with Eric Strasser’s blood and Rosy Strasser’s DNA, prosecutors said.

The day before the shooting, detectives learned Eric Strasser was at a bar in McCook, prosecutors said. Detectives obtained cellphone data showing him returning home at 10 p.m. on April 30.

Rosy Strasser was home at the time and texted her boyfriend that her husband came home drunk, prosecutors said.

Even though Rosy Strasser was home, Eric Strasser called her at least three times and left a voicemail between 1:37 a.m. and 3:57 a.m. on May 1, 2024, prosecutors said.

Eric Strasser had also called his divorce attorney numerous times between 2:32 a.m. and 5:37 a.m., prosecutors said.

Eric Strasser made the call to 911 at 6 a.m. but paramedics determined Rosy Strasser’s approximate time of death was 3 a.m., according to prosecutors.