Lee Gilley extradition blocked by Italy amid death penalty concerns
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As Lee Gilley fights extradition from Italy to face a capital murder charge in the death of his pregnant wife, a controversial claim about the couple’s vacant Houston home has triggered a separate criminal investigation.
The Houston Police Department confirmed to Fox News Digital that officers responded to Gilley’s home in the 800 block of Allston Street on June 17 around 6:30 p.m. after receiving a trespassing complaint. Police said a man at the property told officers he had a right to be there and was willing to “go to court” to prove his case.
HPD contacted the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, which referred the dispute as a civil case to the Harris County Precinct 1 Constable’s Office. As a result of the initial intervention of the police, no criminal complaint was filed.
The unusual property dispute unfolded months after authorities said Gilley cut off his court-ordered ankle monitor and fled the United States, leaving his Houston Heights home vacant ahead of his murder trial.
Texan man suspected of murdering his pregnant wife is fighting to stay in Italy by showing off his ‘lifestyle and culture’
Defense attorney Ed McClees and his client Lee Mongerson Gilley appear before a judge in the 497th District Court at the Harris County Justice Center in Houston on October 17, 2024. Gilley is charged with capital murder in the death of his wife, Christa Gilley. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
Records reviewed by Fox News Digital show Lee and Christa Gilley purchased the Allston Street property in 2018. PEOPLE magazine He reported that a separate warranty deed signed May 8 and filed May 21 claimed that the home had been transferred to Save a Life Houses LLC. According to the publication, Matthew Jackson signed the document as an authorized representative of the Missouri-based company.
The incident, which police initially treated as a civil dispute, was later subject to criminal investigation. Harris County Precinct 1 Officer Alan Rosen announced July 6 that his office had opened a criminal investigation into the attempted takeover.
Texas man accused of killing his pregnant wife allegedly cut off his ankle monitor and fled to Italy
When investigators entered the home, it appeared no one was inside and nothing had been stolen, Rosen said. Deputies removed newly installed security cameras, paperwork from windows and at least two boxes of potential evidence. CPR reported. A locksmith also changed the locks.
Investigators are examining whether the property claim is linked to similar claims about other vacant homes, Rosen said. The Harris County District Attorney’s Office was also investigating the matter on the civil side, according to KPRC. Rosen did not publicly identify Jackson as a suspect, and no criminal charges were filed regarding the property.
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Prosecutors allege that Lee Mongerson Gilley killed his wife, Christa Bauer Gilley, who was nine months pregnant, in Houston in 2024. (Christa Bauer Gilley/Facebook)
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Gilley, 39, remained jailed in Italy while Texas authorities investigated the disputed ownership claim.
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Gilley is charged with capital murder in the October 2024 death of Christa, who was nine weeks pregnant. The Harris County medical examiner’s office ruled his death a homicide caused by neck compression. Gilley pleaded not guilty, and his lawyers appealed that conclusion.
Federal investigators allege Gilley removed his ankle monitor on May 1 and fled Texas before his scheduled trial. He then arrived at Milan Malpensa Airport using a fake name and forged travel documents and was detained by Italian authorities, according to court records.
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Lee Mongerson Gilley, 39, is accused of killing his wife, Christa Bauer Gilley, and their unborn child in Houston in 2024. (Christa Bauer Gilley/Facebook)
At a hearing at the Turin Court of Appeals on July 15, Gilley asked judges to block her return to the United States and said she was seeking protection in Italy for herself and her children. NBC News.
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“I’m looking for protection in Italy,” Gilley said, according to NBC News. “They want to punish me, and I want myself and my children to be protected.”
Gilley’s Italian lawyer, Monica Grosso, told NBC News that Texas officials have not given a formal written guarantee that prosecutors will take the death penalty off the table. Grosso said the defense instead received an embassy note offering assurances.
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Grosso also told NBC News that the defense believed Christa suffered from a blood disorder and that blood found in the couple’s bedroom was inconsistent with the prosecution’s account of her death.
Lee Mongerson Gilley and defense attorney Ed McClees appear Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at the 497th District Court, Harris County Justice Center, 1201 Franklin, in Houston. He is charged with capital murder in the death of his wife, Christa Gilley. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
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On July 20, a Turin court temporarily blocked the extradition request and asked the U.S. government for additional guarantees regarding the death penalty and possible life imprisonment without parole, according to Italian court records. KPRC.
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The court set an Aug. 31 deadline for response and scheduled another hearing in early September, KPRC reported.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Gilley’s attorney and the Harris County Precinct 1 Marshal’s Office for comment.
