Investigators believe a man charged with the murder of his aunt, 68-year-old Nancy Wilcox, killed the Park City woman over a financial dispute just hours after he was released from jail.
Jeffery Michael Thrall, 60, is facing two counts of first-degree murder and remains held on a $5 million bond in the Lake County Jail.
Thrall, who has no permanent home address, went to his aunt’s home in the 3100 block of 7th Street in Park City, where he allegedly stabbed Wilcox to death, according to Lake County Major Crime Task Force Spokesman Christopher Covelli.
The Park City Police Department and Gurnee Fire Department were called around 12:35 a.m. Tuesday after Wilcox’s roommate found her bleeding and unresponsive on the floor inside their mobile home.
Paramedics pronounced the woman dead at the scene. The Lake County Coroner’s Office conducted an autopsy Tuesday that showed Wilcox died after being stabbed multiple times and was also battered, according to Coroner Howard Cooper.
Covelli said that Thrall had been released from the Lake County Jail approximately 12 hours prior to the woman’s murder. He had been serving almost a year in jail for a separate case not involving Wilcox.
Investigators believe that Thrall killed Wilcox over a long-term financial dispute. Officers located Thrall a short time after the murder in Wilcox’s vehicle at a gas station near Green Bay Road and Sunset Avenue in Waukegan.
“We have been in close contact with Ms. Wilcox’s family and our deepest condolences go out to them during this difficult time. This is truly a tragedy,” Cooper said.
Thrall is scheduled to appear in court again on December 19.