Lee Gilley, a Houston man charged in connection with the death of his pregnant wife, fled the country after years of concerns from prosecutors and relatives that he would run away, according to court records.
A judge revoked his bail and issued a warrant for Gilley on Monday after it was revealed he cut off his ankle monitor and left the United States, records show. He made it to Canada and then Milan, Italy, where he was stopped, his defense attorney, Dick DeGuerin, said, citing what prosecutors told him.
"What I can assume is that he got really scared," DeGuerin said.
READ MORE: Houston man accused in pregnant wife's death considered fleeing with kids, relatives say
Courtney Fischer, a spokesperson for the Harris County District Attorney's Office, declined to elaborate on Gilley's flight other than to say he fled the jurisdiction.
DeGuerin described Gilley as being in custody in Italy.
A Harris County Pre-Trial Services officer signed a bond violation report Monday that stated Gilley's ankle monitor had been tampered with around 9 p.m. Friday. The department called Gilley to have the ankle monitor inspected, but he never responded.
The 39-year-old is facing a capital murder charge in the October 2024 death of his wife, Christa Gilley, at their home in the 800 block of Allston Street. She was eight weeks pregnant.
Relatives of Christa Gilley, whose maiden name is Bauer, questioned how her husband escaped the country.
"The Bauers are profoundly disappointed by the breakdown of the system," attorney Tim Ballengee said in a written statement on the family's behalf. "The family fully expects that the defendant will be in custody for the duration of the proceedings, and trusts that the court will ensure the defendant is never again able to flee from justice."
Prosecutors described accounts of Lee Gilley's odd behavior in the days leading up to his wife's death, according to court records.
MORE COVERAGE: Who are Christa and Lee Gilley? The Houston Heights couple at the center of a capital murder case
He appeared "distant and quiet" at a family party on Oct. 5. The next day, he made derogatory remarks about two children, including one of his own, at a brewery.
On Oct. 7, Gilley and his wife argued about his surprise purchase of a 2025 Kia Telluride without her consent. The couple went to bed soon after. He called 911 hours later to report she had taken her own life through a drug overdose and began CPR on her.
An autopsy suggested otherwise. She had trauma to her neck and face more consistent with strangulation than anything to do with the chest compressions, according to prosecutors.
Gilley previously contemplated fleeing to South Carolina with the couple's two young children soon after police interviewed him about Christa Gilley's death, according to testimony from 2024 child custody proceedings.
In the spring of 2025, he discussed with a woman a plan to flee to Mexico or another country by removing his ankle monitor, prosecutors alleged in court records. He stated that marriage could be a way to change his identity.
He had been free on a $1 million bond since shortly after his October 2024 arrest.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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