“We believe in the sanctity of human life,” Christa Bauer Gilley’s parents said.
The parents of Christa Bauer Gilley, a 38-year-old Texas mother who was killed in October 2024, have spoken publicly for the first time since their daughter’s death.
Prosecutors allege that Christa’s husband, 39-year-old Lee Gilley, was responsible for her death. Christa, who was pregnant at the time, was found dead inside the couple’s family home.
Lee Mongerson Gilley is accused of murdering his wife, Christa Bauer Gilley, and their unborn child in Houston in 2024. (Christa Bauer Gilley/Facebook; Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
Investigators say Gilley removed his ankle monitor and fled the United States for Italy in May, just weeks before his trial was scheduled to begin. His attorney, Dick DeGuerin, said the escape could create an additional challenge for the defense.
Speaking to News Media, DeGuerin said Gilley’s flight could affect the Houston criminal case if he is returned to the United States because prosecutors may use it as evidence of consciousness of guilt.
Meanwhile, Christa’s parents, Ed and Sharon Bauer, have been waiting for updates on the effort to extradite Gilley from Italy.
The couple described their grief and frustration in an op-ed published in The Wall Street Journal.
Lee Gilley and his wife, Christa, who was nine weeks pregnant when she died in October 2024. Gilley is charged with capital murder in her death. (Christa Bauer Gilley/Facebook)
“We didn’t have time to grieve before legal battles began,” the Bauers wrote. “What’s kept us going is faith that we would see accountability for the precious lives taken from us.”
The legal effort to extradite Gilley has developed into a case of its own.
After Italian authorities captured and arrested him, Italian courts raised concerns that releasing Gilley and sending him back to the United States could expose him to the death penalty, a punishment abolished in Italy.
Lee Gilley has been held in a jail cell in Turin, Italy, since his arrest by Italian officials. (Getty Images: FilippoBacci)
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The Bauers have also made clear that they oppose the death penalty.
“We are Roman Catholic and believe in the sanctity of human life,” they wrote. “We don’t believe justice for Christa involves taking another life. For us, justice means improving the well-being of women like her. It means confronting the global problem of violence against women.”
Texas prosecutors removed the death penalty from consideration and have been awaiting approval from Italy before moving forward with the extradition process.
Gilley appeared in an Italian court on Wednesday. The court had initially been expected to rule on whether he could be extradited to the United States, but no decision was reached, his attorney confirmed to News Media.
Despite remaining overseas, Gilley is scheduled to face a preliminary hearing on Friday, Oct. 9.
Defense attorney Ed McClees and his client, Lee Mongerson Gilley, appear in the 497th District Court at the Harris County Justice Center in Houston on Oct. 17, 2024. Gilley is charged with capital murder in the death of his wife, Christa Gilley. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
DeGuerin said his client “has insisted from the very beginning that he had nothing to do with his wife’s death.”
He went on to say that Christa’s death was caused by a “pre-existing medical condition.”
As for the Bauer family, they said, “We are asking that Italian and U.S. authorities work together to grant extradition. Our family doesn’t seek Lee’s death. We seek justice for Christa’s.”
Gilley’s defense attorney maintains his client is innocent.