The Knox County State’s Attorney’s Office will be able to use Facebook comments, crime scene photographs, a cell phone photograph, and a 911 call at the upcoming trial for a Galesburg man accused of killing his disabled partner, who could not walk and relied on him for care.
57-year-old Gerald E. Fry Jr. is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the death of 49-year-old Tricia Nichols on April 15, 2025. A grand jury returned the indictment in May of last year.
Fry is accused of killing Nichols in the one-bedroom apartment the couple shared at 191 N. Prairie St.
Nichols, who suffered a stroke two years before the murder, died of blunt force trauma and manual strangulation.
A final pre-trial conference is set for Tuesday, Nov. 10, with a jury trial scheduled for the following week.
According to court records, the state intends to prove that Fry killed Nichols because he no longer wanted to be her caregiver or remain in a relationship with her.
Judge Andrew Doyle has granted several evidentiary motions filed by the state. In addition to crime scene and autopsy photos, the state will be able to admit a photo of Nichols recovered from Fry’s cell phone and a 911 call Fry made in late 2024.
The state will also be able to present up to a dozen Facebook comments Fry made on photographs posted by other women in the days leading up to Nichols’ death.
Fry will be able to wear civilian clothing and be unshackled during the trial.
Knox County State’s Attorney Ashley Worby is prosecuting the case. Fry is represented by public defender Scott Kamin.
According to employment records obtained by TSPR through a Freedom of Information Act Request, Fry had been employed by the Illinois Department of Rehabilitation Services to care for Nichols as recently as November 2024.
Fry had been in a relationship with Nichols for eight years at the time of her death, according to court records.
Those subpoenaed to testify at trial include Fry’s son, a pest control worker, and neighbor Fry had been spending time with prior to Nichols’ death.
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