HOUSTON – A surprising development involving the former home of Lee Gilley and his late wife, Christa Bauer, came to light Thursday during a Harris County family court hearing, as testimony revealed someone has taken possession of the property despite ongoing legal disputes connected to the high-profile case.
Chris Bauer, Christa Bauer’s father, testified that family members visited the Allston Street home Wednesday night and discovered it appeared to be occupied.
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Bauer told the court that when he visited the property on May 13, no one appeared to be living there.
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When he returned Wednesday, however, he found the blinds closed and no trespassing notices posted around the property.
“It was shocking,” Bauer testified.
According to information provided by the Houston Police Department, officers responded to a trespasser call at the home around 6:20 p.m. Wednesday.
Police said a man accompanied by an attorney reported that the residence belonged to his daughter and was tied up in probate proceedings connected to an ongoing murder case. The man told officers he had learned from a neighbor that someone was occupying the property.
Officers attempted to contact the person inside the residence and eventually spoke with him through a doorbell camera system, according to HPD. Police said the man refused to come outside, claiming the house belonged to him and stating he would “go to court to prove it.”
It’s unclear if anyone was actually inside the residence.
HPD said the Harris County District Attorney’s Office was contacted but referred the matter to the constable’s office because it was considered a civil dispute.
No one answered the door when KPRC 2 News knocked and rang the doorbell on Thursday night.
Property records obtained by KPRC 2 News show two days after the DA’s office executed a search warrant at the home in May, the property deed was transferred to a Matthew J. Jackson and Save A Life Homes LLC; however, there do not appear to be any Gilley or Bauer signatures on the document.
KPRC 2 News has reached out to the company and will update this story if a response is received.
The Bauers still own half of the home and said the property hasn’t been sold and no one has been authorized to live there.
The revelation came during a rehearing before Judge Angela Lancelin, who was asked to reconsider previous orders involving the children of Lee Gilley.
Gilley remains in Italy after authorities say he removed his ankle monitor and left the country using a fake name and travel documents while out on a $1 million bond. Attorneys confirmed this week that Italian authorities have received a formal U.S. extradition request seeking his return.
Throughout Thursday’s hearing, attorneys for Christa Bauer’s family argued that developments following Gilley’s escape justified additional court restrictions, including pausing their visits with Gilley’s side of the family.
Attorneys representing members of the Gilley family argued there was no evidence showing relatives who maintain contact with the children posed a safety threat or had participated in helping Lee Gilley flee.
Judge Lancelin questioned whether any new evidence had been presented that would justify changing existing court orders.
At one point, the judge emphasized that concerns and speculation were not enough to support modifying prior rulings without evidence directly connecting family members to wrongdoing.
In her ruling, the judge noted that the court had not heard evidence showing Lee Gilley’s brother, Matthew Gilley, had threatened the children’s safety or acted in concert with anyone to remove them from their caregivers or from the United States.
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Lancelin also addressed arguments about where the children should live, stating that if the testimony and evidence supported significant safety concerns, the court likely would have followed through with a ruling to return them to Harris County.
But Lancelin determined the children can keep living in South Carolina with Bauer’s parents and continue having court-ordered visits with Lee Gilley’s brother and sister-in-law, based on the testimony presented.
“There was no evidence to the court that showed Matt Gilley has done anything to threaten the safety of the children or act in concert with others to seek removal of the children,” Lancelin said.
The family law case also has a new gag order, which the parties received from Judge Lancelin on Thursday. KPRC 2 News is told the civil order is similar to the gag order in Lee Gilley’s criminal case.
The custody case remains ongoing as separate criminal proceedings continue against Lee Gilley, who is awaiting the outcome of extradition proceedings in Italy.
No date has been set for his capital murder trial in Harris County.