Evaluation Ordered for Sailor Charged Stabbing Pregnant Wife

A judge on Thursday ordered a psychological exam for a sailor charged with fatally stabbing his pregnant wife in west suburban Villa Park last May.

The evaluation for 31-year-old Eric Gilford was ordered as the Downers Grove man pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, home invasion and intentional homicide of an unborn child in the killing of his estranged wife, Kristine.

She was five months pregnant when she was stabbed at least 15 times in a Villa Park apartment where she and her 4-year-old daughter had been living since separating earlier from Gilford.

Following the May 26 stabbing, Gilford disappeared for more than two months. He was arrested in Wyoming last month when he tried to obtain an identification card using a phony name, then was returned to DuPage County to face charges.

His court-appointed attorney sought the mental health exam for Gilford, who was working as a U.S. Navy recruiter in the Chicago area at the time of the killings. DuPage County assistant public defender Ricky Holman also said he plans to obtain Gilford’s mental health records from the Navy--and will look for other psychological records that predate his enlistment in the service.

"There might be some psychological issues even before he went in the Navy,” Holman said.

Gilford remains jailed without bond.

Prosecutors have not said whether they plan to seek a death sentence if Gilford is convicted.