Accused Texas man explains why he fled to Italy weeks before wife’s capital murder trial

Lee Gilley, the Texas man charged with capital murder in the 2024 death of his pregnant wife, has given a dramatic explanation for why he fled to Italy just weeks before his scheduled trial.

Speaking during an Italian court hearing on May 11, Gilley, 39, said he left the United States out of fear for his life and to escape what he described as “relentless media persecution.”

“I ran away to avoid being killed and to escape the relentless media persecution,” he told the court. “I worked very hard to escape and request protection in Italy.” 

He also maintained his innocence, saying, “I did not kill my wife. I fled because I was afraid of being killed.”

Gilley is accused of strangling his wife, Christa Bauer Gilley, who was found unresponsive in their Houston home on October 7, 2024. 

Authorities say she was nine weeks pregnant with the couple’s third child at the time of her death.

According to investigators, Gilley initially told police that his wife had died by suicide from an overdose. 

However, the Harris County medical examiner later ruled her death a homicide caused by compression of the neck, leading to his arrest on October 11, 2024. He was subsequently charged with capital murder and pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors say Gilley later cut off his court-ordered ankle monitor on May 1, 2026, before fleeing the country. 

Authorities allege he traveled from Houston to Canada using a fake Belgian passport under a false identity, then boarded a flight to Milan, where he was taken into immigration custody.

In court, Gilley claimed he lost faith in the justice system and insisted he is being wrongly accused. 

“That is why I lost faith in the justice system,” he said. “I am innocent. I did not kill anyone. The only crime I committed was fleeing.”

Gilley is now seeking asylum in Italy, arguing he should not be extradited to the United States. 

Italy, which has abolished the death penalty, may refuse extradition if capital punishment is a possibility in the case. U.S. prosecutors have not said whether they will pursue the death penalty.

The Harris County District Attorney’s Office is coordinating with Italian and federal authorities to secure his return to the United States as the case continues to draw international attention.