HOUSTON – Lee Gilley, the 39-year-old Houston man accused of strangling his pregnant wife in 2024 and cutting off his ankle monitor before being caught in Italy this week, is facing a new federal charge connected to his international flight just weeks before his capital murder trial.
A federal criminal complaint filed Tuesday alleges that Gilley used the name “Lejeune Jean Luc Olivier” to board an Air Canada flight to Milan, Italy, which arrived on Sunday.
YESTERDAY: Lee Gilley used fake travel documents to flee the US ahead of murder trial, prosecutors say
He also allegedly presented a passport and other Belgian identification documents to Milan Border Police, which investigators say were false and forged.
It’s not clear how he got from Texas to Canada initially, which is where prosecutors said the flight to Milan originated.
Gilley was denied entry at Milan airport and taken into immigration custody, investigators wrote, and while awaiting deportation, he admitted his real identity.
While in custody, Gilley claimed asylum and admitted he was awaiting trial for the murder of his pregnant wife, Christa.
Gilley has been charged federally with interstate flight to avoid prosecution.
OUR FIRST REPORT: Man accused of murdering pregnant wife in Houston Heights in 2024 flees to Italy ahead of trial
INTERPOL Washington received an alert from INTERPOL Rome about Gilley’s whereabouts late Monday evening, according to federal court documents.
Gilley’s defense attorney, Dick DeGuerin, said the federal charge is not unusual or unexpected, adding that it gives the U.S. Marshals jurisdiction to arrest him.
Since Gilley was not actually admitted to Italy, DeGuerin said he is hopeful this could expedite Gilley’s return to stay on track for the capital murder trial; however, he still has not been able to make contact with Gilley.
During court Tuesday, DeGuerin said his advice to Gilley, should he be able to contact him, is to waive extradition and return to the U.S. immediately.
MORE INFO ON THE CRIME: Houston man accused of killing pregnant wife released on $1 million bond
Prosecutors and the defense have been preparing for a May 29 trial date, according to Harris County court records, and DeGuerin has said in court he plans to argue Christa Gilley died of a pre-existing medical condition.
During a hearing on Tuesday, District Court Judge Peyton Peebles kept the court date set under the assumption Gilley would be back from Italy by then.
However, everyone involved in the case could not give a clear timeline for how long Gilley’s return to the U.S. may take.
Gilley had been required to surrender his passport and wear a GPS ankle monitor as a condition of his $1 million bond.