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A man from Texas, accused of murdering his pregnant wife, reportedly removed his ankle monitor and escaped to a foreign country, his lawyer revealed.
Lee Gilley, charged with capital murder for the 2024 killing of Christa Gilley, was slated to stand trial on June 5. However, his attorney, Dick DeGuerin, informed KHOU that Gilley dismantled his ankle monitor before escaping to Canada, eventually boarding a flight to Italy.
Upon arrival at Milan’s airport, Lee sought asylum, claiming that he was unjustly charged in Texas and feared facing the death penalty. Nevertheless, DeGuerin explained to KPRC 2 News that prosecutors had not indicated any intention of pursuing capital punishment in this matter.
“It’s deeply troubling,” the defense lawyer remarked. “There might be an attempt to interpret his flight as an admission of guilt, but I believe he’s simply frightened.”
DeGuerin, who was unavailable for further comments to Oxygen, noted that Texas authorities must now affirm that Gilley will not face the death penalty to facilitate his extradition back to the United States.
Harris County District Attorney’s Office Director of Court Communications Damali Keith confirmed to Oxygen that their office “has been made aware that Lee Gilley has fled the jurisdiction.” Keith declined to comment on prosecutors’ next steps.
A bond condition violation report obtained by Oxygen indicated that authorities received notification that Lee’s electronic GPS device had been tampered with at 9:03 p.m. on May 1. An attempt was made to reach Lee, but it was unsuccessful.
What Are the Allegations Against Lee Gilley?
The investigation into Christa’s death began after Houston Police were called to the family’s home on Oct. 7, 2024 for a report of a suicide, according to a statement from police.
They arrived to find Christa unresponsive inside the home. Although she was transported to a local hospital for treatment, she later died from her injuries.
Hospital staff noted that the 38-year-old—who had been eight weeks pregnant at the time of her death—had bruising and “apparent trauma to her face,” police said. The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences later ruled the death a homicide after determining that she died from compression to her neck.
Lee was arrested “without incident” on Oct. 11, 2024, police said.
Just weeks before he disappeared, prosecutors filed notice April 13 that they planned to offer evidence during Lee’s jury trial indicating that he had published a Reddit post March 18, 2024 saying that he was “bored” with his marriage and was seeking a “college-aged female for a friends-with-benefits arrangement,” according to court records obtained by Oxygen.
Prosecutors also alleged that Lee had an affair with a woman in San Diego in 2023 and had been “distant and quiet” at a party just days before his wife’s death.
According to the court documents, Lee resumed communication with the woman in April and May of last year and allegedly told her that he planned to flee to Mexico.
“The defendant stated that he could remove his GPS monitor and provided a detailed plan to do so,” prosecutors wrote. “The Defendant also discussed the possibility of a marriage in order to obtain a new identity.”