Husband Flees To Italy & Requests Asylum Amid Murder Charges: Justice For Christa Gilley

Summary

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True Crime with Kendall Rae

Episode: Husband Flees To Italy & Requests Asylum Amid Murder Charges: Justice For Christa Gilley

Date: July 23, 2026
Host: Kendall Rae (Mile Higher Media & Audioboom Studios)

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Episode Overview

This episode brings to light the devastating 2024 murder of Christa Gilley (née Bauer)—a beloved mother, daughter, and physical therapist—who was brutally killed while pregnant with her third child. Kendall Rae details the ongoing search for justice amid shocking updates: Christa’s husband, Lee Gilly, charged with her murder, posted bond, cut his ankle monitor, and fled the country. After an international flight and attempt to seek asylum in Italy, Lee’s extradition to the US remains uncertain, with complex legal and emotional implications for Christa’s grieving family.

Kendall’s approach centers Christa’s humanity, her legacy, and the failures in the criminal justice system that allowed such a devastating chain of events.

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Key Discussion Points & Segments

I. Honoring Christa Gilley’s Life & Legacy

[03:50 – 09:29]

• Family & Upbringing: Christa Bauer, born 1986 in Pittsburgh, PA, was the eldest of four sisters and known for her natural caregiving and magnetic personality.
• Friendships & Education: She maintained lifelong friendships despite big moves as a child, had a close-knit group (“the Pink Ladies”) in high school, and attended Clemson University (Public Health Science, 2008).
• Professional Achievements: Earned a doctorate in physical therapy from University of Pittsburgh (2011), later becoming a clinical specialist and adjunct professor, deeply committed to patient care and education.
• Motherhood: Described as a doting, proactive mom, Christa adored her two children and was pregnant with her third at the time of her murder.
• Community Remembrance: A vigil was held at Marmion Park, where friends and neighbors wore purple for domestic violence awareness.

“Her life is so much more than what happened in the end. And I hope to honor that as best as I can today by telling you about all of her amazing traits.” — Kendall Rae [02:25]

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II. The Night of the Murder & Immediate Aftermath

[13:21 – 19:18]

• Timeline:

  • Oct 7, 2024: Lee Gilly calls 911 at 11:30 pm, claiming Christa overdosed.
  • Paramedics find Christa with evident facial and back trauma, inconsistent with overdose.
  • Autopsy reveals death by strangulation and undisclosed pregnancy.
  • Oct 11, 2024: Lee arrested and charged with capital murder.

• Initial Story Changes:

  • Lee first claims overdose, then admits to arguing over a secret car purchase, but insists he found Christa already injured.
  • Medical evidence and Lee’s shifting narrative increase suspicion.

• Bond & Conditions:

  • Bond set at $1 million; Lee posts partial amount, released with GPS ankle monitor, passport surrender, no contact with kids, and cannot leave Texas.

“It was extremely obvious to the hospital staff right away that Krista did not die due to an overdose because they could see that she had bruising and physical trauma to her face.” — Kendall Rae [13:56]

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III. Unraveling Evidence & The Marriage’s Darker Side

[19:34 – 21:13]

• Extramarital Affairs: Court filings indicate Lee was having an affair with a California woman in 2023.
• Online Activity: In March 2024, Lee solicited for a “college aged female for a friends with benefits arrangement” on Reddit.
• Escape Plans: After being indicted, Lee shares detailed plans with his mistress on fleeing to Mexico or elsewhere, including how to disable his GPS monitor and seek a new identity. He inquires about fake IDs.

”He told her that he knew how to remove his GPS monitoring device and explained exactly how he would do it.” — Kendall Rae [21:03]

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IV. System Failures & Lee’s International Escape

[23:34 – 27:19]

• May 1, 2026: Lee cuts off his ankle monitor, flees Texas using false identification.
• Route: Travels to Toronto, Canada, then to Milan, Italy, using a fake Belgian passport; stopped by Italian customs and detained.
• Asylum Claim: Admits real identity, claims political asylum to avoid US death penalty.
• Critical Failure: Agency monitoring his GPS doesn’t notify the court until Monday, allowing Lee a multi-day head start.

“The agency that was responsible for monitoring his GPS device decided to wait until business hours on Monday morning to notify the court of his bond violation.” — Kendall Rae [24:39]

“He confessed he was a US citizen being charged for the murder of his pregnant wife in Texas.” — Kendall Rae [26:48]

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V. Legal Complexities: Extradition & Death Penalty

[31:39 – 39:48]

• US-Italy Extradition Treaty: Italy requires assurance the death penalty won’t be imposed to extradite fugitives.
• Lee’s Defense: Argues his life is at risk and that he would face inhumane punishment.
• Italian Court: Labels Lee an “extreme flight risk,” delays extradition pending US guarantees.
• Legal Analysis: Experts anticipate Italy will extradite if Texas officially waives the death penalty.

”If the prosecutors essentially write up some letter saying, hey, Italy, we're not going to seek to kill this person, I think that's probably going to be enough to overcome that hurdle…” — Legal Expert [38:21]

• Trial Delayed: With Lee abroad, murder trial postponed indefinitely.

“...the fact that he fled is definitely going to be considered a huge piece of evidence in his trial.” — Kendall Rae [39:48]

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VI. Defense Strategies & Gag Order Issues

[41:08 – 41:45]

• Defense’s Medical Argument: Lawyer proposes Christa died from a rare blood disorder; prosecutors push for gag order as media comments risk biasing the case.
• Gag Order: Implemented to restrict statements from all parties and witnesses.

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VII. Emotional Fallout: Impact on Family, Custody, and Home

[44:50 – 54:07]

• Custody Battles: Christa’s parents awarded temporary custody of the kids; Lee’s family briefly denied visitation amid fears of further abduction attempts.
• Hearing Details: Investigation into whether Lee’s brother assisted his escape—he denied, claiming the last text from Lee read, “give hugs to the kids.” [46:02]
• Judicial Decisions: Eventually, Christa’s parents allowed to keep kids in South Carolina for stability.
• Escalating Chaos—Home Squatting: During custody hearings, Christa’s father discovers a squatter (Matthew Jackson) fraudulently occupying Christa’s house using bogus paperwork. Costly legal battles and lock changes ensue.

“As if they hadn’t been through enough, and it’s essentially legal blackmail.” — Kendall Rae [54:07]

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VIII. Efforts for Justice & Krista’s Legacy

[56:55 – 58:26]

• Community Mobilization: “Justice for Krista” movement started by family and friends to keep her legacy alive and support her children.
• Purple Tuesdays: Friends wear purple every Tuesday in Christa’s memory and to raise domestic violence awareness.

“Her friends wear purple every Tuesday in honor of Krista and domestic violence...” — Kendall Rae [58:09]

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IX. Legal Limbo: Extradition Blocked in Italy

[59:38 – 63:04]

• Breaking News: Italian Court of Appeal blocks extradition, demands explicit, documented guarantees that Lee will not face the death penalty or life without parole. Prosecutors’ vague wording delays the process further.
• Additional Hurdle: Life without parole also challenged as “inhuman and degrading.”
• Next Steps: The US has until August 31 to issue detailed assurances, with a hearing set in September.

“It’s just frustrating that because he fled, he is getting essentially special treatment. At the end of the day, Lee just needs to be brought back to the United States point blank period.” — Kendall Rae [59:38]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “His family appreciates the outpouring from the community and hopes for justice for their daughter and unborn grandchild.” — Statement from Christa’s family [17:10]
• “We watched as hundreds made their way to Marmion park... Tonight, with lit candles, they prayed for the Heights mother who police say was killed by the man who was supposed to love her the most.” — News reporter [18:52]
• “It is upsetting that this place that is so deeply connected with her would now be associated in this way.” — Friend of Victim [42:28]
• “I mean, you don’t just get a fake passport and flights out of thin air, right?” — Kendall Rae [45:33]
• “Who dropped the ball here? What went wrong?” — Kendall Rae [63:20]

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Key Timestamps

• [03:50 – 09:29]: Christa’s life & achievements
• [13:21 – 19:18]: Night of the murder, Lee’s arrest, family reaction
• [19:34 – 21:13]: Infidelity, Lee’s escape plans
• [23:34 – 27:19]: Lee’s escape, incompetent system response, asylum claim
• [31:39 – 39:48]: Extradition challenges, Italian legal process, trial delays
• [41:08 – 41:45]: Defense’s medical theory & gag order
• [44:50 – 54:07]: Custody battle, home squatter incident
• [56:55 – 58:26]: Justice for Krista, legacy efforts
• [59:38 – 63:04]: Extradition blocked, legal limbo, next court steps

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Episode Tone & Takeaways

Kendall Rae’s tone is empathetic, determined, and at times righteously angry. She foregrounds the failures of the justice system and the additional suffering imposed on Christa’s family through legal delays and bureaucratic mishandling. Christa is repeatedly honored—not just as a crime victim, but as a woman of achievement, warmth, and significance within her family and community.

The episode closes with a renewed call for vigilance against domestic violence, support for Christa’s family (including donation links), and a demand for systemic reform to prevent such devastating injustices in the future.

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Resources

• [Justice for Krista - Facebook Page & Website]
• [GoFundMe for the Gilley children]
• National domestic violence resources (linked in show notes)

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Transcript

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[Kendall Rae]

Hello everyone and welcome back to another episode of True Crime with Kendall Rae. Thank you so very much for joining me today. I'm so happy to have you here.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

And if you're new to my show, welcome. Make sure you click subscribe or follow subscribe that you never miss an episode of mine.

[Kendall Rae]

So today guys, we are going to be talking about a case that I have been following for a while now and I thought it was finally a good time to go ahead and cover it because we have a lot of information. There are many new shocking updates that have occurred recently. So I am so curious to hear

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

my audience's thoughts on this one because

[Kendall Rae]

I am just enraged. This is an absolutely infuriating, tragic story and more people need to hear Krista's story and there are just so many really upsetting twists and turns. So just prepare yourselves. We're going to be talking about the

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

2024 murder of Christa Gilly and also her unborn nine week old baby.

[Kendall Rae]

Now, Krista's loved ones have been just fiercely advocating for justice in her case and they have made huge efforts to

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

keep the the focus on who Christa was in her 38 years of life

[Kendall Rae]

and not just the tragedy that she experienced because her life is so much more than what happened in the end. And I hope to honor that as best as I can today by telling you about all of her amazing traits. I mean, Krista was a really, really wonderful person and I cannot believe the way that her life was taken from her in such a cruel way. Brutal way at the hands of a man who was supposed to love and

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

protect her for the rest of their lives.

[Kendall Rae]

Before we get into that, though, I wanted to mention, just in case anyone in Christa's family sees this episode, that me and my team will be reaching out to you guys to offer you a HOPE grant through my foundation, Higher Hope. They are currently raising funds to cover some of the legal expenses associated with her murder and what it takes to get her the justice she deserves. And that's, you know, part of our mission at Higher Hope is to alleviate as much of that as we can for families.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

And all of your support of True

[Kendall Rae]

Crime with Kendall Rae and any of the mile hire media shows help us to do that. So thank you so much for making Higher Hope possible and engaging with our shows week after week. It just means the world to us and also our sponsors as well are a huge part of the reason that we are able to help so many families. And with that, let me go ahead

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

and tell you more about Christa. So Christa Gilley was born Christa Bauer, and she was born, born into this world on February 7, 1986, in Pittsburgh,

[Kendall Rae]

Pennsylvania, to her parents, Chris and Sharon. And she eventually would become the oldest of four girls.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

She had three younger sisters being Samantha, Laura, and Sarah. And growing up, she was really said

[Kendall Rae]

to have been truly the quintessential oldest daughter, taking on that caregiving role for each of them at a young age herself. And as the eldest daughter myself, I know how intense that can be at times and how much responsibility you get from a young and kind of really are always in that role where you're helping, taking care of your younger siblings even as they grow up. And I'm sure anyone else who is an older sister or an older sibling knows what I'm talking about there. And Krista, you know, really looked out

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

for them in school, at their home,

[Kendall Rae]

and in their everyday lives.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

And that protective nature about her stayed true into adulthood. Christa was a caretaker in the highest form, whether that was for her sisters or her friends or later physical therapy patients.

[Kendall Rae]

She had a way of comforting others that just came incredibly natural to her. And she was also described as super magnetic. It has been said that strangers rarely

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

stayed strangers for long when Krista was around.

[Kendall Rae]

And a good example of that is when Krista was growing up, her family made two pretty big moves. They moved from Pittsburgh to Cortland, Ohio,

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

and then again from Cortland to Somerville, South Carolina. So pretty big changes.

[Kendall Rae]

And despite jumping from place to place in those pivotal early Years of her

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

life, she managed to make friends that would end up being friends for life.

[Kendall Rae]

And that's a pretty big takeaway I got. When learning about Krista is once you

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

were in her circle, she was loyal to you for life. And anyone would be lucky to call Krista a friend.

[Kendall Rae]

She has been described by her loved ones as having this way about her where she could just make people feel special, which is the best kind of friend to have. Right. And I love this little fact about her, but when she was in high school, her and her friends had, I mean, was a tight group of friends

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

that she had too.

[Kendall Rae]

They were really close, and they called

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

themselves the pink ladies, which I think

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

is just so fun.

[Kendall Rae]

And the pink ladies were absolutely inseparable. And their friend group even had an

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

official theme song, which I thought was so cool.

[Kendall Rae]

And it was dancing in the moonlight. And even as they all graduated and, you know, went on with their lives, went to different colleges, they still remained close.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

In 2004, Krista began her four year

[Kendall Rae]

journey attending Clemson university, where she would eventually graduate with a degree in public health science. But graduating from Clemson definitely wasn't the end of her association with the school.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

Krista was a Clemson tiger through and through. And no matter where she was living

[Kendall Rae]

or what she was doing, she always

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

found a way to celebrate her alma mater and the football team that she loved so dearly. And speaking of football, she was also

[Kendall Rae]

a huge steelers fan. And Pittsburgh was very close to her heart, not only because it was where

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

she was born, but also because the

[Kendall Rae]

university of Pittsburgh is where she earned her doctorate degree in physical therapy back in 2011. And after graduating, she became a board

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

certified clinical specialist in cardiovascular and pulmonary physical therapy.

[Kendall Rae]

And after working as a traveling physical

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

therapist for a few years, she planted her roots in Houston, Texas. And that's where she got her dream

[Kendall Rae]

job as a senior physical therapist at

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

Memorial Herman hospital, where she cared for critically ill patients with severe heart and lung complications.

[Kendall Rae]

Christa was said to be a fierce advocate for her patients and someone who took the time to train the next

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

generation of physical therapists at the University of Texas medical branch, where she was an adjunct professor. Professor.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Her professional life was booming at this point, and soon her personal life was too.

[Kendall Rae]

Back in college, actually, just before leaving Clemson, she went on a date with

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

a guy named Lee Gilly.

[Kendall Rae]

And yes, I know it sounds like

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

legally, I couldn't believe this was actually his name. But yes, Lee Gilly.

[Kendall Rae]

Interesting move from his parents, I will say, but it was said to have been a good date. I guess. And she was more focused on her future really and nothing of it really came at the time. But eventually her and Lee Gilly reconnected.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

Unfortunately, Lee was living in San Diego and one thing led to another and they began a long distance relationship.

[Kendall Rae]

And then pretty out of the blue, Christa announced that they were engaged. The two of them got married in 2017 at the Cathedral of St. John

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

in Charleston, S.C. and their long distance relationship ended because Lee made the move from California to Houston to be with her.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Now Lee was a self employed software

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

consultant giving him more flexibility to move,

[Kendall Rae]

whereas Krista's job was dependent on living in Texas.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

And to the outside world, it seemed as if they were building the dream

[Kendall Rae]

life, you could say. In 2020, Krista became a mother to a baby girl.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

And in 2022 she gave birth to her son.

[Kendall Rae]

And I think it's an obvious statement here based on what I've shared about

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

her, but Christa was just born to be a mother. In the few short years that she had with her kids, she did everything

[Kendall Rae]

to give them most magical childhood she could.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

I mean, she was the type of mom that planned birthday parties months in advance and enrolled her kids in sports,

[Kendall Rae]

was super involved in all that, and even took time out of her busy

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

schedule to support other moms who were

[Kendall Rae]

struggling, which I think is just one of the coolest things that you can do honestly.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

And her love of being a mom

[Kendall Rae]

only grew in the fall of 2024

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

when she found out that she was pregnant with her third child who was due the following May. But as of Monday, October 7, 2024,

[Kendall Rae]

neither Krista or her unbor child would have a chance at a happy future.

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[Kendall Rae]

It was late at night when Houston police were dispatched to the Gilly residence after receiving a 911 call from Lee Gilly at 11:30pm and he called to

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

say that Krista attempted to overdose on drugs and that although he was performing

[Kendall Rae]

cpr, she was unresponsive and when paramedics

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

arrived, Krista was rushed to the local hospital, but it wasn't long after this that she was pronounced dead. However, it was extremely obvious to the hospital staff right away that Krista did not die due to an overdose because they could see that she had bruising

[Kendall Rae]

and physical trauma to her face and

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

not only that, she also had muscular injuries to her her back. She did have some injuries consistent with

[Kendall Rae]

having received cpr, which we know Lee said he performed.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

But the injuries that I'm talking about are unrelated and these injuries are confirmed

[Kendall Rae]

by the medical examiner during her autopsy, which also showed that she did an

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

overdose but instead died as a result of compression to the neck.

[Kendall Rae]

She had facial swelling, she had discolored skin, bone fractures and hemorrhaging consistent with having been strangled, which is just so

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

horrific to think about what the end of her life was like. And it was also during her autopsy that they realized Krista was pregnant. So once these findings were confirmed, law enforcement obviously began to question Lee's story

[Kendall Rae]

and once they pushed back on his

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

version of events, it didn't take long until he reportedly changed his tune. He admitted to police that Christa was

[Kendall Rae]

not a drug user and she didn't have any prior intentions of ending her life. And then he admits to them that

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

the two of them had an argument

[Kendall Rae]

that night because he had recently purchased a new car and there was some tension over that.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

According to the court documents, on October

[Kendall Rae]

7, Lee had purchased a brand new

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

Kia Telluride without Krista's knowledge.

[Kendall Rae]

Lee then explained that after they fought,

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

they put their kids to bed and then retreated to different areas of the house. However, he said that after three hours of not hearing from her, he went

[Kendall Rae]

to check on her and that's when he found her with the trauma to her face and blood spots on the bed.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

But of Course, investigators were not buying

[Kendall Rae]

Lee's bullshit at all. And the medical examiner's report showed that Krista's manner of death was homicide.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

And so on Friday, October 11, 2024, 38 year old Lee Gilley was arrested

[Kendall Rae]

and booked into the Harris County Jail

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

and charged with capital murder.

[News Reporter]

Tonight, a man sits in the Harris County Jail after police say he strangled his pregnant wife to death. Yesterday, 38 year old Lee Gilley was charged with murdering his wife, Christa Gilley. On Monday, Houston police officers were sent to a home in the Heights on Alston Street. There they found the body of 38 year old Christa. She was eight weeks pregnant at the time. An autopsy later ruled Gilley's death a homicide due to injuries found on her neck. As of now, Lee Gilley remains in jail. No word yet on his bond.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

Now, not long after his arrest, Lee appears in court and his bond is

[Kendall Rae]

set at $1 million. And maybe you're thinking that that seems pretty high, but you have to remember that the amount of someone's bond isn't actually what they end up paying in

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

order to post the bond.

[Kendall Rae]

It's often a percentage of that amount.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

And for someone like Lee, posting a

[Kendall Rae]

percentage of a million dollar bond isn't that hard. And in fact, on October 21st, that's exactly what he did and he was released from jail.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

It was under strict conditions though.

[Kendall Rae]

First of all, he had to wear a GPS ankle monitoring device and he

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

also had to surrender his passport. He wasn't allowed to leave the state of Texas without consent and he couldn't

[Kendall Rae]

have any contact with his kids. A statement through a spokesperson of Krista's family reads. Krista's family is devastated by her tragic death and death of her unborn child.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

Krista was an amazing mother, full of

[Kendall Rae]

love and excited to welcome her third child.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

They were taken from this world needlessly and way too early. His family appreciates the outpouring from the community and hopes for justice for their

[Kendall Rae]

daughter and unborn grandchild.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

And speaking of her kids, they were

[Kendall Rae]

placed in the custody of family. And I will be circling back to that because there are some custody related

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

disputes that are going on.

[Kendall Rae]

But as all of this is unfolding, the raw emotions of this devastating loss, I mean these two losses was felt by everyone.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

Friends and family just could not believe that Christa was actually gone.

[Kendall Rae]

And there were some people who found

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

out about her pregnancy because of this. I mean, it was so early on, nine weeks.

[Kendall Rae]

So of course she hadn't announced it

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

to everyone in her life yet. So to not only learn that she was murdered, but so was her unborn child, it just added to the shock and heaviness that people felt. Still, though they were able to be as strong as they could, push through

[Kendall Rae]

the pain and found ways to honor her right away.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

On Tuesday, October 15, a private vigil was coordinated by several community leaders and

[Kendall Rae]

it took place at Miramy on Park,

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

which is located not too far from where she lived. And loved ones gathered wearing purple in

[Kendall Rae]

honor of domestic violence awareness.

[News Reporter]

Neighbors gathered to remember a pregnant mother killed in her home in the Heights last week.

Her husband is charged with capital murder in her death and the death of her unborn baby. Matt Doherty is in the Heights tonight where several people turned out for the vigil.

Matt, now we were asked to stay outside of the vigil. Tonight's attendees is an indication of how much Krista's memory is on the minds of those in the Heights tonight. From across the street, we watched as hundreds made their way to Marmion park off of Heights Boulevard. Tonight, with lit candles, they prayed for the Heights mother who police say was killed by the man who was supposed to love her the most.

[Kendall Rae]

Now, while prosecutors were building their case

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

against Lee, he was out on bond, living in the home that he once shared with his wife and kids. Kids, the wheels of justice were turning a little slow. But In April of 2025, he was officially indicted on a capital murder charge.

[Kendall Rae]

And then one year later, some very damning evidence came to light.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

In a court filing From April of

[Kendall Rae]

2026, prosecutors revealed evidence that they planned

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

to present at Lee's trial, which they say proved that the picture of the Gillies happy marriage might not have actually been so happy.

[Kendall Rae]

Through their findings, they allege that back

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

in 2023, Lee was having an affair with a woman in California. And you guys, we have seen this

[Kendall Rae]

play out so many times, not just in gosh, I wonder how many cases that we have covered that play out very similar to this one. I mean, I can think of so many off the bat, but that's always my first instinct when I hear of

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

a man murdering their wife.

[Kendall Rae]

They're so often is another woman in the picture. So then on March 18, 2024, Lee

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

allegedly posted on Reddit that he was bored in his marriage and he was actively seeking a, quote, college aged female for a friends with benefits arrangement. Just disgusting behavior.

[Kendall Rae]

And it gets worse because between April and May of 2025, which is after

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

he posted his bond, keep in mind, he was reportedly back in contact. Woman from California telling her detailed Plans about how he was going to flee

[Kendall Rae]

to Mexico or another country.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

He told her that he knew how to remove his GPS monitoring device and

[Kendall Rae]

explained exactly how he would do it.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

And then he talked about the possibility of marrying someone else in order to

[Kendall Rae]

get a new identity.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

And then ask this woman if she knew how he could get a fake Mexican identity. And mind you, this was not the first time that he discussed fleeing. Okay, so one day after Krista was

[Kendall Rae]

murdered, the Douglas family, who are friends

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

of theirs, reported that Lee was making inconsistent statements and had indicated an intent to flee the country. He claimed the whole thing was a setup and he was being targeted and had to leave to take care of himself. And that same couple reported that on October 5, 2024, Lee was engaging in unusual behavior at a party.

[Kendall Rae]

But then on the 6th, they said that he made derogatory statements about his son and another child.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

Now lastly, on October 10, they said that Lee expressed the desire to leave Houston and wanted to flee to South Carolina where family lived on the 12th.

[Kendall Rae]

And when they attempted to have the

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

kids speak with their in laws on the phone, Lee told these friends to leave his house. So these friends are clearly seeing all kinds of red flags from Lee. And that wasn't the only mention of fleeing. Okay, so there was another.

[Kendall Rae]

Back in November of 2024, which was

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

only about two weeks after Lee posted bond. During a custody related hearing that month, it was revealed that Lee contemplated fleeing with his two kids right after he was first interviewed by police. He reportedly told his brother and father in law that he was considering taking off with the kids. Now, his attorney, however, has denied these allegations, saying, quote, under no circumstance was Lee Gilly ever planning on fleeing jurisdiction. He will continue to comply with all bond conditions with the court.

[Kendall Rae]

And then his attorney later said, quote,

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

it's a mischaracterization of, of comments that were made before any warrant was ever even issued when he was considering trying to go visit his parents and his children's grandparents at the family home in South Carolina. He was never intending to flee, and he's been abiding by every bond condition that's been given to him. Okay, sir, we'll see about that.

[Kendall Rae]

And as I said, this hearing was

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

not about the criminal case. It was about whose custody the children would remain in. And the judge ultimately granted a temporary

[Kendall Rae]

joint conservatorship to their maternal grandparents, as

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

well as to le's sister in but not his brother.

[Kendall Rae]

And we will be coming back to that later on.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

So as you can tell, the notion of Lee fleeing was Top of the mind for quite a while since he posted Bond. And for good reason. And I say that because on Friday, May 1, 2026, very recently, around 9pm, Lee cut off his ankle monitor and fled the country. Now, it's unknown what his initial form

[Kendall Rae]

of transportation was, and I have so many question regarding him fleeing in general. We'll get to all of that. But we know that he presented false identification in Toronto, Canada, and then he

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

boarded a flight to Milan, Italy. And it was while he was attempting

[Kendall Rae]

to enter Milan through customs that he was finally stopped after presenting a fake

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

Belgian passport and other falsified documents. Italian customs officers rejected his entry, thankfully, and took him into immigration custody.

[Kendall Rae]

And if all that is not crazy

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

enough for you, listen to this. I just, just, absolutely could not believe this. This makes zero sense. It's honestly scary.

[Kendall Rae]

But it was a Friday night and the agency that was responsible for monitoring

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

his GPS device decided to wait until business hours on Monday morning to notify the court of his bond violation. And it wasn't just them, it was the judge, the prosecutors, Lee's defense attorney. No one was notified until Monday.

[Kendall Rae]

And as you can imagine, the judge

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

was pissed off, to say the least. He said that if the device was

[Kendall Rae]

cut at 9pm on a Friday in

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

a capital murder case, he should have been notified right away. And duh, I don't know what they were thinking.

[Kendall Rae]

I don't know what happened here. This is just absolutely bizarre to me. And obviously this has now led to major delays in getting justice. And here's what I'm also just so tripped up about. I just do not understand. There are so many questions that we don't have answers to at this point.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

But how the did this guy get

[Kendall Rae]

from Texas to Canada?

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

And then even more, what the. How were these documents good enough to get him as far as Italy? And I mean, clearly they weren't good

[Kendall Rae]

enough to get him actually into Italy,

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

like beyond the airport. But he got there. How is this possible?

[Kendall Rae]

This is so concerning to me and I know concerning to others, it should

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

be concerning to you. This is scary. According to court documents, on May 4,

[Kendall Rae]

2026, at approximately 8:40pm, Washington Interpol got

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

an alert from Rome Interpol regarding his whereabouts. Documents state in part, on May 3, 2026, Gilly Traveling under the name of

[Kendall Rae]

Lejeune Jean Luc Olivier, which I'm probably saying that wrong in some sort of way, but anyway, he landed at the

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

Milano Malpensa airport in Milan, Italy on air Canada Flight 894.

[Kendall Rae]

Gilly presented a passport and other Belgian

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

identification documents to the Milan border police,

[Kendall Rae]

which were found to be false and forged.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

And here's another kicker. When Lee was taken into immigration custody, he admitted to his real identity. He told them who he was.

[Kendall Rae]

He confessed he was a U S.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

Citizen being charged for the murder of

[Kendall Rae]

his pregnant wife in Texas.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

And Lee explained that he was seeking political asylum in Italy and told them that he fled because he was, quote, quote, wrongfully prosecuted and feared that he would be sentenced to the death penalty

[Kendall Rae]

if returned to the United States. And if you're wondering why Italy, what I just said about the death penalty is the reason Italy abolished sentencing people to death a long time ago. So the theory is that he went

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

there knowing, or at least I guess

[Kendall Rae]

hoping that they would not extradite him back to the United States.

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[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

currently getting new studios.

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[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

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[Kendall Rae]

Now the US And Italy do have an extradition treaty, but Italy can refuse to extradite a fugitive facing that sentence.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

Here's the thing though. Prosecutors hadn't ever publicly stated that they were even going for the death penalty.

[Kendall Rae]

Now of course, this is Texas we're talking about and this is capital punishment and Texas is the state that uses

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

it more than any other for sure. But technically it was never said that prosecutors were were seeking it.

[News Reporter]

The man accused of murdering his pregnant

wife in the Heights two years ago

cut off his ankle monitor and fled the country.

His attorney says he has been captured in Italy just weeks before his murder trial was scheduled to begin. KPRC 2 News reporter Bryce Newberry shares how he was caught and what comes next.

Lee Gilly has been out on bond since October of 2024, charged with capital murder in the death of his pregnant wife. Last year, he allegedly discussed cutting off his ankle monitor and getting a new identity in Mexico. Now though, his attorney says he's been caught by airport officials in Italy claiming wrongful prosecution. Here in Texas, just weeks away from his capital murder trial, 39 year old Lee Gilley tonight is overseas after cutting off his GPS monitor and fleeing to Italy. He's been free from jail on a $1 million bond since October 2024, days after he allegedly killed his pregnant wife, Krista, remembered by her family as a kind, welcoming and selfless mother, friend and daughter. Three weeks ago, prosecutors filed paperwork in preparation for trial indicating they planned to bring up Gilly's 2023 affair with a California woman, the same woman he allegedly communicated with last spring about plans to flee to Mexico and other countries, how he could remove his GPS monitor and provided a detailed plan to do so, according to court records. Also discussed the possibility of marriage in order to obtain a new identity. On Friday, his GPS monitor started sending a strap tamper alert record show and when airport officials in Milan, Italy didn't believe his identification information, Gilly's defense attorney Dick Degaran says he gave himself up, claimed he was being wrongfully prosecuted in Texas and subject to the death penalty and asked for asylum.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

Now, as a result of leaving the

[Kendall Rae]

country, Lee's dumbass is now facing the federal charge charge of interstate flight to avoid prosecution.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

And this charge does give the U

[Kendall Rae]

S Marshals jurisdiction to arrest him. However, it's not that simple and trust me, I wish it was. Just a few days after being detained,

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

Lee appeared in court in front of an Italian judge and he verbally expressed his innocence in this case. He said, quote, my wife is dead, and they wrongly blamed me.

[Kendall Rae]

I am innocent.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

I did not kill my wife. The only crime I committed was fleeing. He also reportedly stated that he fled

[Kendall Rae]

because he feared for his life and doesn't trust the u. S. Justice system.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

And Lee is quoted as saying that he wanted to stay in Italy because of the lifestyle, the culture, the international protection and to receive a fair trial. The culture, bro. Yeah, no, you like the culture. It's Italy. And if you like the culture so

[Kendall Rae]

much, why didn't you just get a divorce and go live there?

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

There what I do think he thought

[Kendall Rae]

through though, and this is not confirmed, but Italy has a four year backlog

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

for people seeking political asylum.

[Kendall Rae]

So I wonder, and I know a lot of other people are wondering the

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

same, if maybe Lee also chose Italy

[Kendall Rae]

because he knew it might take several

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

years for the extradition to even be considered.

[Kendall Rae]

So essentially, maybe he was buying himself more time.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

In that hearing, the Italian judge determined that Lee is, quote, an extreme flight

[Kendall Rae]

risk and will be held in custody until an extradition request is received.

[News Reporter]

Houston man accused of killing his pregnant wife went before a judge in Italy who deemed him an extreme flight risk determined to evade US Authorities.

Houston authorities say legally cut off his ankle monitor and then fled to Italy last weekend. So many parts to this saga, so many eyes on it. Reporter Liliana Pearson live from the Harris county criminal courthouse with the latest. Liliana.

According to an official Italian Italian court order translation sent to us by one of Gilley's defense attorneys. An Italian judge discussed Gilly's case today while we wait to figure out if and when he may be sent back to Houston. The documents say the Italian court put a heavy emphasis on Lee Gilley being a flight risk, meaning if Gilley is let go, there's a high chance he could try to evade authorities. That's exactly what a Harris county judge says Gilly did over the weekend when prosecutors allege he cut off an ankle monitor and flew from Canada to Italy. The Italian court saying Gilly used a fake Belgian passport and had other fake Belgian documents that were found on him. The Italian court says they found Gilly to be sophisticated, determined to evade US Authorities and had the financial means to do so.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

Here's another clip from a great law

[Kendall Rae]

and crime special on the case where Chris Stewart sat down with A defense attorney to talk through what the extradition process might look like and why Lee

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

may have gone to Italy in the first place.

[Legal Expert]

This is a rather involved extradition process. It's going to involve not only the state of Texas, but also likely the federal government. It's really a diplomatic type of process whereby our federal government has to get in touch with Italy. There are a number of requirements that have to be met in order for Italy to be willing to extradite the defendant back to America, back to Texas. And so, like I said, that's a rather involved process, and I imagined that measures are being taken towards that end right now.

Now, how does that work? When someone shows up at a checkpoint at an airport and says, I want

to claim asylum, There is a higher threshold for asylum in most countries than just, I have a criminal case against me and I think I'm being wrongfully accused. That's probably not going to cut it. Usually there's a formal legal process whereby someone has to submit documentation showing persecution. Oftentimes it's relating to persecution of ethnic or political groups. There has to be a threat of death or serious bodily harm. All these things have to. To be documented for the receiving country to then process the asylum request. But simply, you know, showing up, getting stopped, and saying, hey, there's a case against me that I think is bogus, that's not going to be enough.

We don't know why Italy was the place he would go, but that seems to be a country that has a pretty decent relationship with the United States. I mean, what type of hurdles, I guess, would going to Italy, as opposed to, you know, if he flew to Moscow, I assume getting him back to the US Would be a little bit more difficult. Just what stands out to you about the fact that that's the country that.

A few important points on that, Chris. So, look, there are some countries that typically do not extradite. My understanding is Vietnam. If a person goes to Vietnam, they're likely not going to be sent back with Italy. The reason that I think he chose Italy is because they have a condition in terms of extradition whereby if a person is facing the death penalty, then Italy might be much more reluctant to extradite that person. And Italy, to my understanding, requires assurances that even if the individual is subject to the death penalty, the prosecutor is not going to seek it. Once Italy has those assurances that the individual being extradited won't be put to death, my understanding is they're much more inclined to engage in that extradition process. And I Think it's likely that they will send this defendant back. You know, I've read some reports about the case. My impressions were that the DA was not going to seek the death penalty, even though the charge is theoretically subject to the death penalty. If the prosecutors essentially write up some letter saying, hey, Italy, we're not going to seek to kill this person, I think that's probably going to be enough to overcome that hurdle with respect to the death penalty. But if this was a capital case and they were seeking the death penalty, this guy might have more outs and it might be more likely that he would remain in Italy. But I think under the circumstances, that's unlikely.

[Kendall Rae]

And I'm sure you guys are already thinking this, but the dude really dug himself a much deeper hole because the fact that he fled is definitely going to be considered a huge piece of evidence in his trial. And by the way, speaking of his trial, it was originally scheduled to begin on May 29, 2026.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

And when Lee first fled, the judge

[Kendall Rae]

actually didn't postpone the trial because the hope was that he would be back in time. But obviously that didn't happen. Unfortunately, and I hate to say this, but Lee is currently still in Italy and no current trial date is set at this point in time. That being said, it's going to happen. And when it does happen, and I'm confident that it will, this escape will

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

be discussed at length in the trial. I mean, for the prosecutors, fleeing the country shows major consciousness of guilt.

[Kendall Rae]

I mean, he could not really have done anything worse to make this harder for himself. And I mean, it's so obvious, right?

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

Why run unless you're guilty? Come on. Although I'm sure his defense attorney, Dick

[Kendall Rae]

De Geeran, will likely argue that he was just scared. However, back in early May, his attorney stated in court that he plans to

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

argue that Krista died of a pre existing medical condition.

[Kendall Rae]

And I'm probably going to say this wrong, called methemoglobinemia, which I've never heard

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

of this, but it's a rare blood disorder that affects hemoglobin, so it cannot

[Kendall Rae]

deliver oxygen to your body tissue.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

He said that Krista almost died from

[Kendall Rae]

the condition a year and a half before her death. That statement, however, which he not only

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

made in court, but also to the

[Kendall Rae]

media, is partially the reason that a

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

gag order was issued for this case.

[Kendall Rae]

In May, prosecutors asked the judge to

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

impose a gag order after Lee's attorney began making statements to the media which

[Kendall Rae]

they felt were advancing their theory of the case.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

The gag order was granted and it prohibits what law enforcement, attorneys and witnesses can say publicly. Of course, I understand that Lee fleeing

[Kendall Rae]

the country is a huge part part of this story. I mean, I'm reporting on it, of

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

course, but I wanted to include that

[Kendall Rae]

him going to Italy was especially upsetting to her loved ones. And that's because Italy was one of Krista's favorite places. Krista had studied abroad there in college

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

and she went to Sicily in May

[Kendall Rae]

of 2024 with her friends.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

This was her happy place. And for Lee to go there seeking

[Kendall Rae]

asylum is honestly just offensive, not to

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

mention him doing so delays Christa getting just justice.

[Friend of Victim]

Italy was so special to Krista. She loved Italy.

[News Reporter]

Only on two tonight, friends of the pregnant Heights woman allegedly murdered by her husband who was fled to fled the US To Italy ahead of his trial are speaking out for the first time right now.

Lee Gilly is apparently in Italian authorities custody after cutting off his ankle monitor and fleeing. That's what authorities tell us. KPRC 2 News reporter Bryce New Newberry has been on the story all week. He's live in the newsroom tonight with what her friends are saying about this. Bryce.

Yeah, Joel and Lisa, excruciating is the word one friend use. They had finally felt like the end was in sight with Lee Gilly's murder trial just weeks away. But now after he's left the US and claimed asylum in Italy. Tonight they are slamming the system failures and trying to focus on fighting for justice for Christa.

[Friend of Victim]

Krista loved Italy so much that I actually associated her with Italy.

[News Reporter]

These are new photos tonight showing Houston mother Krista Bauer on a girls trip to Italy two years ago, just months before her husband is accused of strangling her to death at their home in the Heights.

[Friend of Victim]

It is upsetting that this place that is so deeply connected with her would now be associated in this way.

[News Reporter]

Krista was proud of her Italian heritage and dreamed of getting dual citizenship, her high school friend Kara Kelly says. But now it's where her alleged killer, Lee Gilly is in immigration custody. Federal investigators say he cut off his ankle monitor while out on bond in Houston and fled to Italy using the name Leun Jean Luc Olivier and forged Belgian travel documents. Now he's claimed asylum. Investigators searched his home again this week, seizing his SUV just weeks before his capital murder trial was scheduled to start.

[Friend of Victim]

There was kind of an end in sight that's been moved again and it's just destabilizing and awful. There was so much war warning that it was in public records that people in the court and the system had and yet no one seemed to really take it seriously.

[News Reporter]

Multiple people in multiple jurisdictions could have done something sooner, she says, still not understanding how someone could get out of the country so easily while on bond for capital murder, possibly delaying any sense of closure.

[Friend of Victim]

It's not going to deter us from. From continuing to honor her, her and sharing her story and reminding everyone of how amazing of a person she was.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

So before I start wrapping up today,

[Kendall Rae]

there is one more important piece to this case that I really want to discuss, and that is the custody of Christa's children. While Lee's loser ass has been sitting in an Italian jail cell trying to fight for extradition, his family and Chris's family have been in court themselves. And as I said earlier, Chris and Sharon Bauer had been granted temporary conservatorship of the kids. And they currently live in South Carolina.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

And their fear is that Lee's side

[Kendall Rae]

of the family might try and take the kids out of the country to join him. So they filed an emergency motion to pause visitation with the Gillies, specifically his brother Matt, who lives in North Carolina. And there was a two day custody

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

hearing in mid May where the Bowers

[Kendall Rae]

attorney openly suggested that Lee might have had financial help and resources to pull off his escape. I mean, you don't just get a fake passport and flights out of thin air, right? But Matt Gilley and his wife actually testified via zoom and adamantly denied having helped Lee flee the country. He said that the last message he

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

got from his brother was on May 1, the same day Lee cut his ankle monitor and his text to Matt reads, give hugs to the kids.

[Kendall Rae]

And then also in this same hearing,

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

a photo of Lee that was taken

[Kendall Rae]

just weeks before he fled was shown he had been given permission to travel to North Carolina for his mother's funeral. And in that photo, he had longer

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

hair and a th beard. And the Bowers attorney suggested, argued that

[Kendall Rae]

he intentionally altered his appearance as part of his escape plan. And it certainly looks that way to me now.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

At first, the judge ruled that the

[Kendall Rae]

two children would have to return to Texas, forcing their maternal grandparents to relocate. It was also ruled that Matt Gilly

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

could not have visitation.

[News Reporter]

Tonight, a judge makes a decision about the children at the center of a murder investigation and failed escape that is generating headlines across the globe and in different languages.

Lee Gilley fled from Houston to Italy to avoid being tried for murder. His children live with his murdered wife's parents, who are worried the Gilley family could try and pull a fast one just like their dad and take the kids out of the country as well.

ABC13's Jessica Willey has been monitoring every twist. And Jessica, both sides of the family left unhappy after the judge's decision in court this morning.

Yeah, and so much more revealed during this court hearing. From what we know about how Lee Gilly fled to Europe, it was not a simple plan. Court records say he had a fake passport and flew through Canada. His murdered wife's parents suggest he had help. Well, today during a contentious hearing over custody of their two young children, his brother denied helping him in any way. Krista and Matt Gilley, Lee's brother and sister in law, testified via zoom. Matt told the court he did not help Lee leave the country and has not given him any money. There was testimony though that investigators visited their home in North Carolina to question the couple about Lee's whereabouts. And Matt did say he has hired a criminal defense attorney. Lee Gilly is charged with the 2020, 24 murder of his wife Krista at their Heights home. The medical examiner says she was strangled to death. He denies all allegations. Christa's parents have temporary custody of their children, ages 3 and 5. They are all living in South Carolina. They wanted a pause visitation with the Gillies side of the family, citing fear they would be taken out of the country as well. In the end, the judge denied Matt visit and ordered that the children be returned to Texas, where she says she would have more control over the circumstances. It also means the grandparents would have to relocate, at least for now. Some of Christa's friends were in court.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Uproot the children again for the second

[Friend of Victim]

time and move them across the country

[Kendall Rae]

is disrupting the stable life that they have been building for for the past

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

year here in South Carolina.

[News Reporter]

Yeah.

So some changes to come for those children. As part of the hearing, a recent photo of Lee was shown in court taken just a few weeks ago. He has much longer hair, as you can see, and a beard. The grandparents attorney suggesting he changed his appearance to flee. All part of an elaborate plan, she said. Authorities say he cut off his ankle monitor on May 1. The same day day Lee texted his brother Matt testified to quote, give hugs to the kids.

[Kendall Rae]

However, on June 18, that original outcome changed. The judge now said that the children can continue living in South Carolina with Krista's parents and this would be better because it's a more stable environment for them. And I definitely agree that this was the right decision. However, there was another new ruling that the Bowers were not happy about.

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[Kendall Rae]

I mean, they have a bunch of

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[Kendall Rae]

In that same June hearing, and this is so frustrating, the judge said that the gilly side of the family could go ahead and still be allowed to have visitation with the children. And as if all of that wasn't upsetting enough, this case gets even crazier and just so Frustrating. I cannot believe that I'm even reporting on this, but it turns out that a squatter has moved into Krista's home or had moved in, I should say. During the May custody hearing, Krista's dad testified that he had recently visited the

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

home only to find that someone was living inside. The locks were changed, new cameras were

[Kendall Rae]

installed, and no trespassing signs were posted

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

on the witness windows.

[Kendall Rae]

Police later called the house, and the

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

man living inside refused to come out. He spoke with officers only through a

[Kendall Rae]

ring doorbell speaker, and he claimed that

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

he was the legal owner of the

[Kendall Rae]

home, and he had the paperwork to prove it.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

And there was a notice in the window claiming that the house belonged to Safe A Life Homes LLC and Matthew Jackson. And it turns out it wasn't this guy. Matthew's first time doing this. This dude is such a freak.

[Friend of Victim]

Okay.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

A year prior, he was arrested for

[Kendall Rae]

trespassing after he moved into another home

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

that was the scene of a homicide. So it seems like he seeks these types of houses out.

[Kendall Rae]

I mean, that has to be his method.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

And I wonder if this is the

[Kendall Rae]

thing that other people do as well.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

And apparently, Matthew was able to file a warranty deed transferring Krista's home home to his llc.

[Kendall Rae]

And if you're wondering how he did that, dude, same from my understanding, and this is bizarre, and I'm not an expert, but he basically filed paperwork claiming he was taking the house over through squatter's rights.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

Property records show a deed was filed transferring the home to him and his

[Kendall Rae]

company, but it was determined that neither family signed the document.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

Obviously, therefore, for all of this, was completely fraudulent. Still, though, and this is just maddening, in order to get him out, the

[Kendall Rae]

Bowers will have to likely spend thousands

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

of dollars in civil court in order

[Kendall Rae]

to have him evicted. As if they hadn't been through enough, and it's essentially legal blackmail.

[News Reporter]

Tonight, a new twist in the Lee Gilly case. He's the heinzhuff who cut off his ankle monitor and fled to Italy to avoid standing trial for his pregnant wife's murder.

And now the victim's family wants to know who's living in their dead daughter's house. This all came to a head at a child custody hearing this afternoon in Harris County. Christa Gilly's father says he recently went to the home on Alston street and testified in court that he saw other people living there and no trespassing signs on the door. So we sent ABC13's Tony Atkins to check it out. Tony, this story has already generated headlines internationally and now this.

So at this house right now, you can see the lights are out. I knocked on the door. I rang the doorbell earlier today with no answer. And within the past hour, we heard from Houston police. They say just yesterday they responded to a trespassing call at this house. And the person on the other side of the doorbell, when they rang it, said that they had ownership of this house, not the Gillies. A neighbor reported the person at the home to hpd, but the person, a man, would only speak to officers through a doorbell speaker, claiming he was the owner of the house and could prove it in court. So we went to the house today and we saw the new cameras, no trespassing signs, as well as a notice of possession and control up saying that the house is now owned by an llc, LLC called Save a life homes. We went through real estate records tonight and learned Save a Life Homes filed an affidavit of adverse possession and a warranty deed on May 21, which is about three weeks after investigators say legally fled the U. S for Italy. The company claiming ownership, saying it now occupies and maintains the property. I called the owner of the listed company to confirm the claims with no answer. And despite this claim, Harris county records still list the Gillies as owners of the property. In court today during child custody hearings, Krista Gilly's father says he was shocked to see the new signs and cameras up at the house.

[Kendall Rae]

Now, luckily, and I'm happy to report this next bit to you, but the authorities have since changed the locks back in an effort to return possession to the Bauer family. It turns out in early July, just recently, they entered the house and Matthew was not there. I'm sure they tried to figure out a time that he wasn't going to be there, and that's when they were able to change the locks and hopefully keep him out. I just feel so bad that they have gone through so much on top of losing their daughter and future grandchild in such a horrific way. And I will say though, that through

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

all of this darkness, which there has

[Kendall Rae]

just been way too much of, Christa's loved ones have really tried to shine as much light as they they can. Like I said at the start, they really want to keep the focus on her. And that's how I wanted to wrap up today's episode. I thought this was just so beautiful. But Chris's family have started a justice for Krista movement, and their goal is to make sure that her legacy is not defined by the tragedy that happened to her. Her friends wanted to turn their grief into something more productive. And that's exactly what they have done. They've created a Facebook page and website, both of which provide detailed information about

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

who Krista was and what she stood for.

[Kendall Rae]

And resources to follow the case are provided there as well, and I'll have those linked in the description box and show notes of this episode.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

Another big part of their mission is

[Kendall Rae]

advocating for accountability and justice, as well as providing support for Krista's family and kids. A GoFundMe was started to help offset the financial burden the Bauer family has experienced because of this, and any additional

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

funds will go directly to her kids.

[Kendall Rae]

So please check that out. And as I said in the beginning too, my team at Higher Hope will be reaching out to their family to offer them a Hope grant. Krista's case, unfortunately, is one of the the many, many domestic violence cases that

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

we hear about constantly.

[Kendall Rae]

And this is really beautiful.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

But her friends wear purple every Tuesday

[Kendall Rae]

in honor of Krista and domestic violence, which is why I've got my purple background up today. It makes me just so furious, disheartened, disgusted and depressed, honestly, to hear so

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

many stories of smart, amazing women and people in general too, lose their lives at the hands of a violent partner.

[Kendall Rae]

Now, as always in cases involving domestic violence, I will be providing resources on how to seek help in the show notes and description box of this episode for any of you who are struggling yourselves or know someone who is. And I know I speak for all of us when I say that I hope justice for Krista is coming soon. I feel very confident, like I said, that it is coming. I'm sure you feel the same way.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

But at this point, Lee still remains

[Kendall Rae]

in Italy and his trial remains on hold. But I do, like I said, I think the wheels of justice are turning and hopefully it's sooner than later. And I also wanted to mention that The Harris County DA's office has officially sent the Italian government an extradition request as of mid June. So my hope is maybe we will have an update on his return to the US any day or any week now. And it's possible that we will hear that before this episode even goes live. And if it does, I will pop in a little update here.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Okay, so breaking news in this case. Turns out the Court of Appeal in Turin, Italy has for now, blocked the US's request to extradite Lee. The Italian judges are asking the US government for more guarantees to protect Lee from the death penalty, meaning they want to be absolutely free, sure that they won't be seeking that against him if he's brought back to the United States, which pisses me off. There was an email in late July written by prosecutor Janet Oswald to Lee's defense attorney which said in part saying that we are not seeking the death penalty or are waiving it. We do not do that in other cases, as you know. And when reviewing this, the Italian court said that the wording of the email suggests that the death penalty might still be sought. This is just extremely disappointing in my opinion. And I'm sure we'll get more details on this soon. It's just frustrating that because he fled, he is getting essentially special treatment. At the end of the day, Lee just needs to be brought back to the United States point blank period. And these delays are just incredibly upsetting. I cannot imagine how her family is feeling right now.

[News Reporter]

An Italian court has hit pause on extraditing the Heights man accused of murdering his pregnant wife and unborn child before fleeing to the US While away from the US While on bond.

The court wants additional guarantees from the United States at legal will not be subject to the death penalty if convicted of capital murder. KPRC2 Bryce Newberry live in the newsroom now with the new development in this legal battle. Bryce.

Yeah, Lisa and Keith. This new court order from Italy continues to delay any action with the Capitol murder case here in Texas. After legally cut off his ankle monitor and fled the U.S. while on bond, Italian judges today want the U.S. to guarantee he won't face the death penalty of convicted while also appearing to take issue issue with the other punishment option of life without parole. Facing severe punishment for capital murder in Texas, Lee Gilly will spend longer overseas as the Italian government in this new court order seeks confirmation he won't be sentenced to death if convicted. The Houston father is accused of strangling his pregnant wife Krista Bauer in October 2024 before posting a one million dollar bond, then cutting off his ankle monitor in May and and fleeing to the country his late wife loved. Last week at the Turin Court of Appeal, Gilly told the judges, I will not flee Italy without protection. It would be dangerous for me, adding, I am asking for protection for myself and my children. Harris county prosecutors have never indicated they'd seek death for Gilly, but in an email cited in those court records, prosecutor Jenna Oswald declined to file anything official with the Texas court to make that distinction. That email, the Italian Jack judges say, suggests the Harris county district Attorney's office hasn't waived pursuing death and they want to guarantee the death penalty won't be imposed. The other punishment option would be life without parole, Gilly's Italian defense lawyer telling reporters even a life sentence without the possibility of parole must be considered an inhuman and degrading punishment. The Italian court is also asking for clarification about whether Gilly could be convicted of a lesser offense with a lesser penalty, which would be more aligned with the Italian legal system, where the government considers prisoners who get a life sentence eligible for release after 26 years. So the court has set August 31st as a deadline to get this information from the US and a hearing is then scheduled for early September. The judges will have to decide whether to grant the extradition or deny it, which would effectively release Gilly in Italy.

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

I still have just so many questions about this case that I hope we

[Kendall Rae]

get answers to, and I'm sure a lot of you feel the same. Like, for example, how the hell was Lee able to get to Canada from Texas? And how was all this not flagged sooner?

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Who dropped the ball here?

[Kendall Rae's Co-host/Producer]

What went wrong?

[Kendall Rae]

And how can we make sure that doesn't happen again? And I guess those are questions we're just gonna have to wait to get answers on. But that is gonna be it for me today. I will be back next week to discuss another case. But until then, you guys stay safe out there.

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[Legal Expert]

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