A Texas Man Accused of Killing His Pregnant Wife Fled to Italy Weeks Before Trial. He’s Asking a Judge Not to Send Him Back
Authorities say Lee Gilley cut off his GPS monitor and fled before a capital murder trial, and Italian officials are weighing extradition.
- Lee Gilley appeared Monday at the Turin Court of Appeals for a hearing validating his arrest following his flight from Texas capital murder charges.
- Texas authorities say Gilley cut off his court-ordered GPS monitor and fled to Italy on May 1 using a forged Belgian passport, just weeks before his scheduled trial.
- Refusing extradition to the United States on Monday, Gilley told Turin Court of Appeals Judge Marta Sterpos he seeks Italian asylum because "I chose Europe because of its due process guarantees, and Italy because there is strong public opposition to the death penalty."
- Italian officials will decide within five days whether Gilley remains in solitary confinement at Lorusso e Cutugno prison or moves to an administrative detention center awaiting an asylum commission decision.
- Extradition complications persist because Italy opposes the death penalty, and U.S. prosecutors have not clarified whether they will seek execution for the 2024 double homicide.
19 Articles
19 Articles
Texas man accused in pregnant wife's murder fights to remain in Italy, citing 'lifestyle and culture'
Lee Mongerson Gilley, a Texas man accused of killing his pregnant wife, told an Italian judge he is innocent and is seeking asylum rather than returning to the U.S.
A Texas man accused of killing his pregnant wife fled to Italy weeks before trial. He’s asking a judge not to send him back
A Texas man, weeks away from standing trial for the death of his pregnant wife, showed up in Italy this month with what a US criminal complaint says was a fake passport and forged documents. When Italian authorities confronted him, he proclaimed his innocence of the killing and asked them not to send him back.
‘I am innocent’: Lee Gilley asks for protection in Italy after fleeing U.S. before Harris County capital murder trial
Harris County capital murder suspect Lee Gilley appeared in a courtroom in Turin, Italy, around 3 a.m. local time Monday, for a hearing to validate his arrest at the Turin Court of Appeals.
Texas man who fled to Italy after arrest in pregnant wife’s murder tells judge he’s innocent
A Texas man who cut off his ankle monitor and fled to Europe using a fake name and passport after he was accused of strangling his pregnant wife in 2024 told a courtroom in Italy that he is innocent.
Texas murder suspect captured in Italy after allegedly fleeing U.S.
(NBC)- A Texas man accused of killing his pregnant wife is now in custody in Italy after authorities say he fled the United States while awaiting trial. According to court filings, Lee Gilley allegedly cut off his court-ordered ankle monitor on May 1 before leaving the country. Investigators say Gilley, who is charged in the 2024 death of his wife Christa Gilley, traveled to Milan and arrived there on May 3. Authorities allege he attempted to en…
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