HOUSTON – Lee Gilley, the 39-year-old man accused of murdering his pregnant wife Christa in October 2024, has cut off his ankle monitor and “fled the jurisdiction,” according to court records and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.
Gilley was scheduled to be in court this week and begin his murder trial later this month, according to court records.
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Gilley’s defense attorney Dick DeGuerin on Monday night told KPRC 2 News his client has been captured in Italy, based on information DeGuerin has received from prosecutors.
“It’s very concerning and I’m concerned that the prosecution will try to say that it’s evidence of consciousness of guilt that he’s running from it, but I think he’s just scared,” DeGuerin said.
Officials at the airport in Milan, Italy, didn’t believe Gilley’s identification information, DeGuerin said, which is when Gilley self-identified, said he was being wrongfully prosecuted in Texas, was subject to the death penalty, and wanted asylum.
DeGuerin said Texas has to certify to Italy that he’s not subject to the death penalty, adding that the prosecution has never said they are seeking death for Gilley.
It’ll now be a process to get him back to the U.S. that will take an undetermined amount of time, DeGuerin said.
Gilley has been out of jail on a $1 million bond since Oct. 21, 2024, according to records. On Friday evening, records show his GPS monitor started generating a “strap tamper” alert, Pretrial Services attempted to reach him by phone, and as of Monday, the alert was still going off.
Records show a judge has revoked his bail and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.
Initially, police said Gilley told them his wife Christa overdosed, he found her unresponsive, and tried to perform CPR. He was arrested days later though, because the medical examiner found evidence of strangulation.
Christa was 9 weeks pregnant, and Gilley eventually admitted his wife was not suicidal or a drug user, according to court records. They had been arguing before she died, records show.
Just a couple weeks ago, Harris County prosecutors filed paperwork in preparation for trial, indicating they planned to bring up a 2023 affair Gilley had with a woman in California.
In 2025, while on bond for Christa’s murder, prosecutors wrote that he communicated with the same woman on numerous apps and on the phone, discussing plans to flee to Mexico and other countries. He also “provided a detailed plan” for removing his GPS monitor, discussed the possibility of marriage in order to obtain a new identity, records show.
“The Defendant also inquired as to whether she knew of a Mexican identity he could acquire to facilitate his departure from the country,” records show.
Gilley was scheduled to be in court on Tuesday morning for a motion hearing, according to records, and the hearing is scheduled to continue as planned, according to the DA’s office and DeGuerin.