Three men charged with murder in the Houston area have fled while free on bond, raising questions about pretrial monitoring systems in Texas.
Facing a capital murder charge in the death of his pregnant wife, Christa Gilley, Lee Gilley, 39, left the country last week for Italy, The New York Times reported. Authorities in Italy apprehended him in possession of fake documents; he subsequently sought asylum in that country. Court records show he was granted a $1 million bond and freed on Oct. 17, 2024; his case was due in court on May 29. According to the federal complaint, the manner of death established by a Harris County forensic pathologist was compression of the neck and upper back. No decision has been announced on whether Texas prosecutors will pursue the death penalty or seek to bring Gilley back to the United States. A complicating factor is Italian law, which prohibits handing over defendants to countries where execution is a possible sentence.